Illinois Property Owners Sue Over Pritzker's Pause On Evictions

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Illinois Rental Property Owners Association is joining the legal fight against Governor JB Pritzker and his moratorium on evictions.

As of now, evictions are on hold across the state until July due to COVID-19.

But a number of landlords are suing to regain access to the courts.

They argue some people who are not impacted by the coronavirus outbreak are taking advantage of Pritzker's order as a way to avoid paying their rent.

Thursday afternoon, Pritzker defended his eviction ban during his latest briefing on COVID-19.

"It's important for us to stand up for people who are working class, people who cannot otherwise afford to maintain their home. We do not want people to become homeless in this difficult crisis," he said.

However, the governor said he'd be open to conversations about more specific restrictions on evictions, such as banning only evictions of tenants who lost income due to the pandemic.