Dallas County tenants who appeal evictions find better outcomes
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The proceedings, about 80% of the time, were dismissed, abated or ruled in favor of tenants.
During a year in which Dallas County evictions were at a five-year high, about 80% of times in which tenants appealed, the cases were either dismissed, abated or ruled in favor of tenants, leaving legal aid experts questioning due process in justice of the peace courts.
On average, Dallas County justices of the peace rule in favor of landlords about 72% of the time, according to a study from the Child Poverty Action Lab. However, on appeal, the outcomes are much more varied as tenants have more time to prepare a defense or work out a settlement and landlords are required to provide evidence of lawful evictions.
The appeals data reveals how unbalanced the scales of justice can be for low-income renters during a time of rent spikes and high inflation, says Mark Melton of the Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center.
“On average in the three busiest courts in Dallas County, we spend less than four minutes developing the facts for eviction cases for tenants. And we get it wrong most of the time,” Melton said. “I cannot imagine anyone looking at that data and concluding that that is constitutionally sufficient due process."
A closer look at the data shows about 51% of the time, eviction suits are dismissed, abated or resolved without a judgment when appealed, while 21% of the time the landlord’s case is nonsuited by the court. Appeals judges rule in favor of tenants in 8% of cases and in favor of landlords in 20% of cases.
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CPAL Partner Spotlight: Dallas College
What happens when a college system turns data into action?
- In this CPAL Partner Spotlight, we explore how Dallas College partnered with the Child Poverty Action Lab (CPAL) to better identify and support student parents — an often-overlooked group facing barriers to completing their education.
- By integrating CPAL’s data analysis with Dallas College’s holistic Student Care Network, the college was able to identify 8,500 student parents supporting more than 25,000 children — and connect many of them with public benefits, wraparound services, and long-term opportunities for economic mobility.
- "CPAL helped us ask the right questions—and the ripple effect is now touching veterans, foster youth, dual credit students, and more."
Legal representation increases Dallas tenants’ chances of avoiding eviction
CPAL data underscores the importance of legal representation in eviction cases which keeps tenants housed.
- CPAL data reveals how courts rule in landlords’ favor 84% of time when tenants don’t show up; when tenants appear with legal representation, landlords win only 10% of cases.
- Through August, 28,845 evictions have been filed this year in Dallas County, an average of 119 per day, a 223% increase over the same period in 2021 and a 203% increase over the same period in 2020.
Dallas College students who are evicted more likely to drop out, not return
CPAL’s study with Dallas College reveals how an eviction can have harmful and long-lasting impacts on young adults.
- Dallas College students who haven’t experienced an eviction earn a credential at about 7.5 times the rate of students who do have an eviction filing against them.
- Dallas College students who faced an eviction had a persistence rate 60% lower than the first-time students cohort; the eviction cohort also had a 50% lower retention rate compared to the first-time students cohort.