Pappenhagen v. Payne

Jill N. J. Pappenhagen (“the tenant”) brought an action in the Small Claims Division of the Lakewood Municipal Court against Ann Payne (“the landlord”) to recover her apartment security deposit. After a hearing before a referee, the municipal court entered judgment in favor of the tenant for $600. In a timely appeal, the landlord asserts three assignments of error for our review. 1 Because we find her arguments to be well-taken in part, we modify the award of damages and affirm the judgment as modified.

In her complaint the tenant alleged that landlord refused to refund her $300 security…