Jury Finds HA Negligent

February 22, 2010

Sons of woman killed by a crack addict at Charlotte complex are awarded $132,000 over claim of inadequate tenant screening.

By Ely Portillo
elyportillo@charlotteobserver.com

Negligence by the Charlotte Housing Authority led to an elderly woman's 2007 death at the hands of a crack cocaine addict, a jury ruled Tuesday.
Attorneys sued the agency on behalf of the estate of Eva Dunlap Green, 63. She was strangled three years ago in her ninth-floor apartment at Charlottetown Terrace, a public housing complex for the elderly and disabled near uptown.

Her 46-year-old neighbor Kenneth Cyrus - a man attorneys said has a history of violence, drugs and mental illness - was convicted of her killing.
Jurors awarded Green's sons a total of $132,000 - far less than the $10.4 million in damages they were asking for. Jurors said they couldn't agree on a monetary amount, and the final figure was a compromise.

At issue in the two-week trial was whether the Housing Authority properly screened Cyrus before it let him live in the Charlottetown Apartments on Baxter Street.
"There were so many signs along the way that Kenneth Cyrus should not have been living in public housing," said Green's attorney Harvey Kennedy.

He argued that the Housing Authority violated its own procedures by doing only an N.C. background check - not nationwide - on Cyrus.

That check missed violent crime and drug convictions in Maryland that would have prevented him from living at Charlottetown, according to Kennedy.
The jury agreed. "We feel like (Green's killing) could have been prevented," said foreman Brian Henry.

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Subscribe to News RSS Subscribe to Blog RSS	« Back to Blog Jury Finds HA Negligent February 22, 2010 Sons of woman killed by a crack addict at Charlotte complex are awarded $132,000 over claim of inadequate tenant screening. By Ely Portillo elyportillo@charlotteobserver.com Negligence by the Charlotte Housing Authority led to an elderly woman's 2007 death at the hands of a crack cocaine addict, a jury ruled Tuesday. Attorneys sued the agency on behalf of the estate of Eva Dunlap Green, 63. She was strangled three years ago in her ninth-floor apartment at Charlottetown Terrace, a public housing complex for the elderly and disabled near uptown. Her 46-year-old neighbor Kenneth Cyrus - a man attorneys said has a history of violence, drugs and mental illness - was convicted of her killing. Jurors awarded Green's sons a total of $132,000 - far less than the $10.4 million in damages they were asking for. Jurors said they couldn't agree on a monetary amount, and the final figure was a compromise. At issue in the two-week trial was whether the Housing Authority properly screened Cyrus before it let him live in the Charlottetown Apartments on Baxter Street. "There were so many signs along the way that Kenneth Cyrus should not have been living in public housing," said Green's attorney Harvey Kennedy. He argued that the Housing Authority violated its own procedures by doing only an N.C. background check - not nationwide - on Cyrus. That check missed violent crime and drug convictions in Maryland that would have prevented him from living at Charlottetown, according to Kennedy. The jury agreed. "We feel like (Green's killing) could have been prevented," said foreman Brian Henry. To learn about more about Tenant PI's Nationwide Criminal Report, please click here or contact us at 1.800.260.0079!	Tenant PI puts credit reports, nationwide criminal background checks and unique landlord history reports just one click away.