Los Angeles County Tenant Rights Attorney

Tenant-Only Advocates Who Have Recovered Over $196 Million for California Renters

Riley | Ersoff | Rodas LLP represents tenants harmed by landlords and property owners who allow dangerous conditions to persist. We handle cases involving lead poisoning, carbon monoxide exposure, Legionnaires’ disease, structure fires, and severe habitability failures. We have never represented a landlord or property management company.

Our results reflect what that focus produces. We’ve recovered more than $196 million in verdicts and settlements for tenants harmed by negligent property owners across Los Angeles County and California.

Results Built on Case Preparation & Partner Involvement

Every case receives direct involvement from founding partners Grant Riley and Victoria Ersoff, who together bring nearly 70 years of combined legal experience to tenant advocacy. We deliberately limit our caseload so each client gets the time and attention their situation demands.

We prepare every case as if it will go to trial. That approach strengthens our negotiating position and can push insurers to settle at values that reflect the true harm our clients suffered. Our record reflects it:

• $18,000,000 verdict for a single carbon monoxide poisoning victim
• $10,000,000 settlement for a family with one lead-poisoned child
• $5,000,000 settlement for a Legionnaires’ disease case
• $3,000,000 settlement for two families in slum housing conditions

Hazardous Housing Cases We Handle in Los Angeles County

Our practice centers on the housing conditions that cause the most serious, lasting harm to tenants and their families. California Civil Code establishes an implied warranty of habitability, requiring landlords to maintain functioning plumbing, heating, electrical systems, and weatherproofing. When landlords let those conditions deteriorate and tenants get hurt, we pursue accountability.

The cases we handle include:

• Lead Poisoning from deteriorating paint, contaminated soil, or lead-bearing plumbing in older rental units
• Carbon Monoxide Poisoning from malfunctioning appliances, inadequate ventilation, or ignored maintenance requests
• Legionnaires’ Disease from contaminated water systems in residential or commercial rental properties
• Structure Fires caused by code violations, faulty wiring, or landlord failure to maintain fire safety systems
• Slum Housing Conditions including pest infestations, mold, sewage failures, and long-unaddressed structural hazards

California’s Toxic Mold Protection Act also requires landlords to disclose known toxic mold hazards to current and prospective tenants. When they don’t, that failure can form part of a broader habitability claim.

A Litigation Model Built Around Tenant Interests

We represent tenants exclusively. That’s not a marketing statement. It means our strategies, our relationships with outside professionals, and our investigative resources serve one purpose: recovering what tenants are owed.

Our in-house field investigator secures time-sensitive evidence at the earliest stages of a case, before conditions get remediated or records disappear. We build cases with medical professionals, industrial hygienists, engineers, and environmental scientists whose findings carry weight in negotiations and at trial. We also provide full support in both English and Spanish, so language is never a barrier to pursuing a claim.