Swanson v. Boschen

This is an action brought by the plaintiffs pursuant to a federal statute to recover money paid as rent to the defendant in excess of the amount fixed by the area rent director. 61 Stat. 199, as amended, 50 U.S.C. App. § 1895 (Sup. 4, 1951). The plaintiffs demanded as damages not merely the amount of the overcharge but three times that amount plus reasonable attorney’s fees. The statute allows recovery of three times the over charge as a penalty, if the violation was wilful or resulted from the failure of the landlord to take practicable precautions against its occurrence. The plaintiffs…