November 16, 2022
We say thank you and farewell to attorney Charisse Lue, who has served as a tenacious advocate for tenants’ rights and race equity on the PJC’s Human Right to Housing Team for the past several years. As she moves on to new endeavors, we wanted to recognize her impact.
Charisse has been a key leader in campaigns with Baltimore Renters United and Renters United Maryland to establish, fund, and implement a right to counsel for tenants in eviction cases in Baltimore and across Maryland. She served on the Maryland Access to Counsel in Evictions Task Force as co-chair of the Implementation Committee, shaping recommendations for making the right to counsel a reality.
Her representation of tenants in Baltimore City’s eviction court has helped numerous people stay in their homes and held landlords accountable for illegal actions. In a notable case before the Maryland Court of Appeals, Charisse’s advocacy secured a ruling that tenants have the right to seek a reduction in the rent and withhold rent if the landlord fails to fix unsafe conditions and that the Court may not unilaterally issue a consent judgment when no agreement has been reached between the parties. The Court’s decision is a strong reminder that judges and landlords must listen and take action when tenants raise concerns about housing conditions.
Reflecting on her time at the PJC, Charisse said, “After five years at PJC, I have had the honor of working with the most committed public interest attorneys and professionals there could ever be. I am truly grateful for all that I have learned from each person. Working with the Housing Team to find creative and effective methods of accomplishing the impossible is a gift that I am eternally grateful to have experienced. Baltimore is so very lucky to have PJC’s housing team continuously reminding them that housing is a human right.”
We are thankful for all that Charisse has done to advance housing justice and race equity and wish her well in her next steps.
