LUNCH AND LEARN MEDIA ROOM

Newly retired Deputy District Attorney Paul Greenwood was a lawyer in England for 13 years. After relocating to San Diego in 1991 he passed the California Bar and joined the DA’s office in 1993. For twenty two years Paul headed up the Elder Abuse Prosecution Unit at the San Diego DA’s Office. In 1999 California Lawyer magazine named Paul as one of their top 20 lawyers of the year in recognition of his pioneering efforts to pursue justice on behalf of senior citizens.

He has prosecuted over 750 felony cases of both physical, sexual, emotional and financial elder abuse. He has also prosecuted ten murder cases, including one death penalty case.

In March 2018 Paul retired from the San Diego DA’s office to concentrate on sharing lessons learned from his elder abuse prosecutions with a wider audience. In October 2018 he was given a lifetime achievement award by his former office.

Paul now spends much of his post retirement time consulting on elder abuse cases and providing trainings to law enforcement and Adult Protective Services agencies across the country and internationally. He is also involved as the criminal justice board member of National Adult Protective Services Association.

Oliver Ehlinger is the Managing Attorney of the Solano County office of Legal Services of Northern California (LSNC).  LSNC provides free civil legal advice and representation for low-income, disabled, and senior residents of Northern California.  Oliver has served over 3000 individuals in his legal services career and has represented clients in state, federal, and administrative courts.  He is a graduate of UC Davis School of Law and a North Carolina native.

Here’s a List of Your Questions Ollie Answers: 

1. If you allow a friend or a relative to live in a house you own, but they do not pay rent are they still considered a renter?
2. To be a renter, does there need to be a signed lease or rental agreement, either month to month or longer, or does a verbal agreement still require the same eviction process?
3. What are the legal rights of a family who hired a caregiver for their father, and in lieu of money, they included room and board, however, when the father passes, and the family wants the caretaker to leave, the caretaker refuses?
4. If someone stays in an Airbnb and won’t leave, how does the landlord get them out?
5. What if the tenant or owner does not have mental capacity?
6. What if an owner is terminating the tenancy because they are selling?
7. Could there be an elder abuse allegation or undue influence angle in cases where the senior has been convinced to transfer title? 
8. Has there been an increase in incidents of domestic violence during COVID-19? Has your office used VAWA to stop evictions successfully? 
9. If a tenant is current on rent and has lived in the property for 11 years, the landlord passed away, and daughter’s of the landlord has given the tenant a 45-day notice to vacate the premises, is this considered a legal notice?