Tenants Win $3.5 Million In Wrongful Eviction Case

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A landlord has been ordered to pay $3.5 million to a San Francisco couple after a jury ruled they were wrongfully evicted from their home of 21 years.

Dale Duncan and Marta Mendoza sued sisters Anne Kihagi, Christina Mwangi, and their company Zoriall LLC, after they and their 6-year-old daughter were evicted in 2015.

They say a "pattern of harassment" started after the women bought the property in 2014.

The couple said Kihagi claimed her sister would occupy the rent-controlled unit.

Attorney Steven McDonald, who represented the couple, said Friday that a jury determined she never intended to move in.

He says the jury awarded the family $1.17 million. A judge tripled the amount.

An attorney representing the sisters, Richard Diestel, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.