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DRAFT FOR ATTORNEY REVIEW — NOT FINAL

Mendes v. Johnson, 389 A.2d 781 (1978)

Citation
Mendes v. Johnson, 389 A.2d 781 (1978)
Parent Document
Mendes v. Johnson, 389 A.2d 781 (1978)
Jurisdiction
DC (municipal)
Effective Date
1978-06-13

Other Sections in This Document (216)

Full Text

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Under early common law, a landlord was privileged to enter upon his land and recover it by force, using violence if necessary. However, this privilege was modified as early as 1381, when a statute was passed making such forcible entry a criminal offense.3 This criminal statute was accepted as part of the common law, or reenacted, by nearly all of our states.4 In addition, most states provided a summary procedure whereby a landlord could quickly reacquire possession from a defaulting tenant with the aid of judicial process.5