A Fox Rothschild litigation team in Atlanta led by F. Beaumont Howard and Nicholas B. Corser secured a jury verdict worth more than $685,000 for the owner of an Atlanta coffee shop who alleged her commercial landlord had illegally locked her out of her business in retaliation for complaining about chronic plumbing problems.

The 12-member Fulton County jury concluded in its verdict that the landlord had acted with “specific intent to cause harm” to Grant Park Coffeehouse and its owner, Rahel TafarI, a first-generation immigrant from Ethiopia who moved to the United States while in high school.

In its four-page verdict, the jury concluded that the landlord was liable for breach of contract, trespass and conversion. It awarded TafarI more than $97,000 on those claims. In a second phase of the trial, the jury said TafarI should be paid $200,000 in punitive damages and awarded her $388,000 in attorney’s fees to reimburse her for the three-year legal battle.

Evidence in the trial showed that the landlord had repeatedly failed to complete plumbing repairs, and that when he finally agreed to take action, he chose to perform the work himself instead of hiring a professional contractor, which caused delays and other issues. During discussions about the repairs, the jury heard that the landlord locked Tafarl out of her business without warning, forcing her to secure two emergency court orders that allowed her to reopen.

“TafarI is an Atlanta success story,” said Howard. “She worked hard to launch a successful coffee shop in the city, and this verdict demonstrates that courts play a vital role in ensuring that local businesses remain a thriving and vibrant part of our community. We are pleased to have secured this victory for our client.”