Each year, tens of thousands of tenants in California are sued by their landlords, often in eviction actions. Tim Lincecum recently made headlines, not because of his high profile career but rather for a lawsuit brought upon by his ex-landlord. Lincecum had allegedly “trashed” his apartment, stolen items from the unit, and caused $350,000 in damages. Despite the absence of photos and details to back up the landlord’s case, it appears Lincecum has already been added to the so-called “tenant blacklist.”
Because credit reporting companies are allowed under the First Amendment to report available court records to prospective landlords as part of credit checks, cases like these, regardless of the outcome, will remain on file and can potentially damage a tenant’s credit history and ability to rent in the future.
