by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
September 24, 2024
The award is significantly higher than Postell’s original settlement offer for $75,000.
An HBCU student in Columbia, South Carolina, will receive nearly $700K after his landlord unjustly threw away his belongings.
Ansel Postell, who attended Benedict College, returned to Columbia to find his pre-paid apartment emptied. He also found out that his landlord had given away his stuff. However, his mother claims that they paid the rent for six months upfront, as reported by The State.
It totaled $3,810 to ensure his residence and belongings would be safe over the summer break. The funds went to rental company Campus Advantage, which owns multiple apartment complexes like The Rowan.
The cybersecurity major found that all his clothes, electronic equipment, television, and self-built computers were missing. However, the company ignored requests for compensation. Due to this, the family took legal action and received a lofty sum in its conclusion.
On Sept. 19, a Richland County jury awarded the honors graduate $692,000 in damages, with $462,500 allocated for punitive damages.
“I’m glad I was given the opportunity for this to be taken up in court, and the jury was able to make a decision on the evidence that we provided,” Postell said to the publication the following day.
In the lawsuit, Postell stated that the process of trying to reach The Rowan and replace his lost items left him unable to attend many classes at the start of his senior year. The absences nearly resulted in the loss of his scholarship and academic performance.
The jury also found the rental company violated the state’s Unfair Trade Practice Act. Given this, the former student is potentially entitled to at least triple the damages of some or the entire award.
“Almost half a million dollars in punitive damages is sending a huge message,” said Postell’s lawyer, Todd Lyle. “This case could have been settled for far less, but their obstinance and insistence that they did no wrong ultimately drove this verdict as high as it did.”
The award is significantly higher than Postell’s original settlement offer of $75,000. Now, the company will pay two years of interest at 8% annually.
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