Housing Authority & Urban Redevelopment Agency v. Taylor

The opinion of the Court was delivered by

ZAZZALI, J.

In this appeal, we consider 42 U.S.C.A. § 1437a(a)(1) (Brooke Amendment), which limits the amount of rent that public housing tenants can be charged. The question before us is whether the Brooke Amendment prohibits a public housing authority (PHA) from assessing tenants attorneys’ fees, late charges, and court costs in an eviction proceeding where the express language of the lease defines such fees as “additional rent.”

The Housing Authority and Urban Redevelopment Agency of the City of Atlantic City (Housing Authority) instituted a sum mary…