NASHVILLE   Tennessee’s court system won’t follow a new COVID-19 pandemic eviction moratorium by President Joe Biden’s administration, reasoning that a federal appeals court for its region has already decided the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn’t have authority to issue pauses on eviction.

Attorneys helping tenants say the legal interpretation leaves those facing eviction with limited options. The attorneys said they seek to negotiate with landlords, including convincing them to accept federal pandemic housing aid applied for by tenants. The goal is to avoid an eviction that could inhibit their ability to get a new place to live in the future.

“It’s a lot of tenants who are being surprised,” said Zac Oswald, managing attorney with Legal Aid in the Nashville region. “They hear national news that the eviction moratorium is in place, or is in back in place, and they don’t realize that it doesn’t apply in Tennessee.”  READ MORE HERE