John Chiv: Janssen Malloy comes up with "Doe Tenant" and no evidence to back claims

Mar 21, 2025

Janssen Malloy comes up with "Doe Tenant" and no evidence to back claims

10 days after the last hearing in the lawsuit filed by local law firm Janssen Malloy attorneys, Ms. Meagan Yarnall and Mr. Jeff Slack on behalf of Don Swall and Vanessa Vachon, Ms. Yarnall filed an amended declaration.

Swall and Vachon are two tenants of Hillsdale Apartments who are suing Dwivedi Tower LLC and the owner, Mr. Anil Dwivedi who took over the property in January 2025.

I did an interview with Mr. Dwivedi three days about unsubstantiated claims the first of three articles in February 2024, week after week in Lost Coast Outpost, another local media source which failed to disclose that Janssen Malloy is an advertiser. Crickets from LOCO since I pointed that out and a letter was sent to Janssen Malloy by the Dhillon Law Group.

In e court, in addition to a declaration by Ms. Yarnall's declaration, there is an unsigned order submitted to Judge Timothy Canning. Unsigned order scanned into e court. Not a big deal. Hopefully, the actual order will be signed and served on all parties. Judge Canning has not ruled on the preliminary injunction yet. I have been checking regularly. He has 90 days but said he was mindful of the urgency of this matter.

In that declaration, Ms. Yarnall refers to "Doe Tenant." Not sure if this is one of the mysterious tenants she referred to at the March 10 hearing where she admitted that she did not have a declaration. I did not see any other declaration from "Doe Tenant" scanned into e court when I checked the case today. Is this some new tenant or the ones who moved out as Ms. Yarnall mentioned. Attached is a lease from Swall that is unsigned. There is no lease from "Doe Tenant" but more claims from Janssen Malloy.

Ms. Yarnall's declaration on the second page is a joke. Read that page. I also signed a lease. It looked optional and I confirmed it with the manager before signing. Is Swall incapable of asking a question? Does he have a caregiver or social worker? Is it Dwivedi's Tower LLC's fault if Swall or anyone assisting him did not clarify?

Local attorney Mr. Randall Davis is representing Mr. Dwivedi. The Dhillon Law Group filed a notice of association of counsel this week. That Dhillon Law Group document is the only competent filing I have seen so far in this case.

I feel for Judge Timothy Canning. He is assigned and the case will go through the usual long drawn out civil process. I have a choice whether I cover this case or read through the filings. Judge Canning does not.

Covering this case is a headache because of sloppy work from lawyers on both sides flinging claims. You can read about more mistakes in previous coverage.

Letters to tenants with no apartment units listed as exhibits filed for Dwivedi Tower LLC by Mr. Davis. Unsigned copies of leases as exhibits from Janssen Malloy. Both sides making claims and this is the evidence they provide? There are reputable local civil lawyers who could read these filings for entertainment. No decent lawyer would risk their reputation on this drama filled, sloppy legal case. I may cover future hearings and developments depending on what the Dhillon Law Group files.

I have other civil cases and court cases that benefit the community than to waste my time with this legal posturing. For what Ms. Yarnall, Mr. Slack may get in future attorney fees and what Mr. Davis,I presume, is getting paid, these filings are a joke. I have seen pro per parties file better documents.

While this ego battle and legal posturing goes on, the only ones getting screwed are all the other tenants at Hillsdale Apartments who want nothing to do with this mess and that includes me.

Both sides need to provide better evidence and fix their sloppy filings. The local civil court staff is short handed. Both sides in this case are selfish. It takes time for court staff to scan, file and enter documents. It takes time for the judge to read the same basic arguments over and over again and that time could be better spent on other court cases. Why can't these people sit down and mediate and talk?

If Mr. Dwivedi wants to clear his name and win this case, he needs to get a more competent local lawyer or just let Dhillon Law Group take over the case. If Janssen Malloy wanted to truly protect all the tenants at Hillsdale Apartments from eviction, they need better clients than two people whose actions I have personally experienced whose intent I doubted from the start before any interaction with them. Now Janssen Malloy drags out some random "Doe Tenant" who cannot use a name to bolster an idiotic class action lawsuit that they jumped to file.

The TRO protects Doe so why not use a name? Three people with an agenda screwing over the other 27 tenants at Hillsdale Apartments.

I already disclosed I have lived at Hillsdale for about two weeks and that was an unexpected development. There are good tenants at Hillsdale. There are others who are not and they don't like a new owner, especially one who enforces basic rules like no smoking or the Eureka noise ordinance and an owner who treats all tenants fairly. There are washer and dryers on the premise that actually work and an on site manager who is actually responsive to tenants. This is the first place I have lived in Humboldt that is mold free and that may just be my apartment and the tenant who lived in the apartment before. Some of us value and take good care of places provided even though we don't own it. This is the first place where management is responsive to maintenance issues. Compared to most property owners in Humboldt and local property management companies and the experiences I have had over 21 years and those others have shared, Dwivedi Tower is one of the better choices.

If Janssen Malloy had guts, they would take on other more "well known" local property management companies. Instead, I get inundated with emails begging me to help local tenants and others with court injustices. I am not a lawyer. I am not an elected official. Those who have the capacity to change corruption and fix these issues sit on the sidelines and watch.

I do expose the injustices, I cover cases and news others do not and take risks. The consequence has been that I have been retaliated against and am fighting for my own survival daily and if you read my blog; you know why.

Court documents posted below. I am not posting pages and pages of the unsigned Swall lease like disclosures that are irrelevant to Janssen Malloy alleged claims.