Skip to main content
DRAFT FOR ATTORNEY REVIEW — NOT FINAL

Houle v. Quenneville, 787 A.2d 1258 (2001)

Citation
Houle v. Quenneville, 787 A.2d 1258 (2001)
Parent Document
Houle v. Quenneville, 787 A.2d 1258 (2001)
Jurisdiction
Vermont (state)
Effective Date
2001-11-09

Other Sections in This Document (112)

Full Text

694 chars
In judging motive in a retaliatory eviction case, the inquiry is an objective one. As we stated in Gokey v. Bessette, 154 Vt. 560, 564, 580 A.2d 488, 491 (1990), “[w]hile animus or bad motive may properly be considered in evaluating what is ‘retaliatory,’ the statute does not contemplate use of a subjective test. A subjective test would effectively establish such a high burden of proof for tenants that the benefit the Legislature intended to confer would be an illusion. In determining what is and is not retaliatory, the events must speak for themselves.” Under an objective view of the facts, the trial court’s conclusion that the eviction was not retaliatory does not withstand analysis.