Bet Tzedek Legal Services is an American nonprofit social justice and economic rights organization based in Los Angeles, California. The organization provides pro bono legal and social support services and conducts policy advocacy and impact litigation.
History
1970s and 1980s
Origin Bet Tzedek was founded in 1974 by a group of Jewish attorneys, law students and community members concerned about gentrification and housing issues living in the Beverly Fairfax neighborhood of Los Angeles. The group's volunteer attorneys provided free legal representation to low-income residents of Los Angeles. Through the mid-1970s, Bet Tzedek grew from a volunteer-run organization into a full-service center providing free legal aid to all low-income residents of Los Angeles County.
In its early years, most of Bet Tzedek's services were provided to low-income Holocaust survivors and other vulnerable seniors in need of assistance writing wills, obtaining unemployment benefits or dealing with landlord/tenant disputes. By the 1980s, their services had expanded enough prompting a move into a larger office, where they began to focus on other legal matters, although they still worked on unlawful eviction cases. About half of Bet Tzedek's cases in 1980 were landlord-tenant disputes. Many of their clients during this period remained elderly and/or immigrant residents in the Fairfax district.
Holocaust reparations In 1984, Bet Tzedek achieved a significant legal victory that provided support to thousands of low-income, elderly Holocaust survivors. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled in favor of Felicia Grunfeder, a Bet Tzedek client and Holocaust survivor who had been denied disability benefits because she received a small Holocaust reparations payment.
In 1987, after a four-year legal battle, Bet Tzedek negotiated a settlement that allowed elderly residents of an old hotel to remain in their accommodation. This agreement preserved their current low rent and shielded them from further eviction threats.
1990s In the early 1990s, Bet Tzedek filed a lawsuit against a national HMO, alleging fraud and deceptive sales practices, through known racially targeted victimization of elderly Spanish-speaking enrollees. Ensuing media coverage prompted a federal investigation and a stockholder suit against the company and Bet Tzedek successfully settled the underlying case.
Bet Tzedek provided legal aid to affected businesses during and following the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which erupted after the acquittal of four LAPD officers involved in the beating of Rodney King, a black motorist. The organization initiated a program to support businesses affected by the riots.
Elder abuse and fraud protection In 1995, Bet Tzedek investigated conditions at Los Angeles-area nursing homes and found evidence of violations that posed risks to patients.
In 1997, three members of Bet Tzedek's staff and Board contributed to the Mayor's Blue Ribbon Committee on Slum Housing, whose suggestions were adopted by the L.A. City Council as the most thorough code program ever implemented locally.
In 1998, Bet Tzedek brought a major class-action suit with pro bono counsel against 16 European-based insurance companies who refused to honor insurance policies purchased by Jews who perished in the Holocaust.
In 1999, Bet Tzedek represented over 100 tenants residing in an abandoned downtown building, utilizing local statutes to clear titles and eliminate millions of dollars in liens. This legal action paves the way for a new owner to acquire and renovate the building.
In 1999, Bet Tzedek's lawsuit against Hillhaven, one of the largest nursing home chains in the country, contributed to changes in business practices regarding violations of state and federal law which caused financial hardships for residents and their families.
2000s
Sydney M. Irmas Housing Conditions Project Bet Tzedek's Sydney M. Irmas Housing Conditions Project, funded by the Irmas Family Foundation aimed to help low-income families secure safe, affordable housing. In 2001, the Irmas Project filed a lawsuit on behalf of tenants' rights group Inquilinos Unidos against a well-known landlord in Los Angeles. The lawsuit was later joined by the Los Angeles City Attorney's office, and the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher served as pro bono counsel on the suit. The lawsuit resulted in a legal ruling against landlords who subject their tenants to substandard health and safety conditions. This case helped clarify the legal ability of tenants' groups to pursue claims against landlords using multiple business entities.
Kinship Care Project Bet Tzedek founded the Kinship Care Project in 2002, aimed at aiding relative caregivers who serve as custodians, legal guardians, or adoptive parents to minors. The organization assists in accessing healthcare and education while also facilitating the formalization of custodial relationships. Renamed the Kinship Care Program in 2014, Bet Tzedek continues to provide resources to educate lawmakers about the need for uniform application of probate laws, particularly as they relate to unaccompanied minors. The program contributed to the passage of SB 873 in 2014, which preserved the rights of immigrant minors in guardianship proceedings.
Concurrently, in the same year, Bet Tzedek, with pro bono counsel, successfully represented Irene Gut Opdyke's estate in an eight-week trial regarding the rights to her life story, "righteous gentile" who saved numerous Jews during World War II.
In 2002, Bet Tzedek investigated the city's most-convicted slumlord, discovering multiple fraudulent practices. Bet Tzedek's lawsuit resulted in a $1 million settlement, with funds directed to the City of Los Angeles.
In 2003, Bet Tzedek engaged in international litigation for the first time by representing victims of Nazi persecution within the German court system, advocating for Holocaust survivors appealing denials of restitution payments. Concurrently, in California, State Treasurer Phil Angelides collaborates with Bet Tzedek to persuade U.S. banks to waive wire transfer fees for payments to indigent survivors.
In 2004, Bet Tzedek contributed to the passage of a state law focused on protecting the rights of garment workers, ensuring the safety and proper treatment of hundreds of thousands of workers in L.A. alone. And under Assembly Bill 633, Bet Tzedek assisted employees of a major clothing retailer with receiving compensation from a retailer for labor violations committed by a manufacturer later that year.
Eviction defense for tenants Bet Tzedek participated in efforts with the city of Los Angeles to oppose the "Landlord's Solution," which sought to permit landlords to evict tenants who refused intrusive requests for information aimed at disrupting their tenancy. The Los Angeles Superior Court concurred and upheld a law that prohibited such practices.
2010s In 2012, Bet Tzedek moved from its longtime headquarters in Los Angeles' historically Jewish Fairfax District to a new headquarters on Wilshire Boulevard in Koreatown. The move was partly due to the changing demographics of the people served by Bet Tzedek, with the organization seeking a more accessible location for its services.Nita Lelyveld, "Legal aid group Bet Tzedek graduates to new headquarters", Los Angeles Times, September 9, 2012.
Foreclosure prevention In 2014, Bet Tzedek's Board of Directors appointed Jessie Kornberg President & CEO, the first woman to hold the position in the agency's history.
Through its Kinship Care Program, Bet Tzedek educates lawmakers about the need for uniform application of probate laws, particularly as they relate to unaccompanied minors. This led to the passage of SB 873 and a favorable ruling in the appellate court which preserved the right for immigrant minors to be treated equitably in guardianship proceedings.
Bet Tzedek testified before Congress in 2014 regarding the impact of reparations payments on the eligibility of elderly Holocaust survivors for public benefits. Bet Tzedek's advocacy led to a rewrite of the Social Security Administration's procedural manual, ensuring clearer guidance for eligibility workers and safeguarding benefits for survivors.
Justice for children and families Bet Tzedek has long provided services focused on the care of children and families, regardless of immigration status. With its Kinship Care Program, Bet Tzedek co-sponsored AB 900 which passed in court, to support children maintaining stable legal guardianship. Teodora Manolova, a Bet Tzedek volunteer, was awarded the President's Pro Bono Service Award by the State Bar of California in 2016. Manolova worked with Bet Tzedek's Rapid Response program assisting unaccompanied minors seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, a status that allows them to remain in the U.S.
In 2017, Bet Tzedek received a Distinguished Service Award from the Judicial Council of California in recognition of its 40 years of free legal services, including its work with the Family Preparedness Project. Launched in February 2017, the Family Preparedness Project was created to assist undocumented parents facing threats of deportation.
In February 2017, Bet Tzedek co-sponsored Assembly Bill 900 (AB 900), ensuring human trafficking survivors are no longer denied access to life-saving resources through the California's Victim's Compensation Fund.
Bet Tzedek represented senior citizens, many aged 90 and older and some Holocaust survivors, in a legal dispute with Watermark Retirement Communities, the new owner of the Westwood Horizons building. Bet Tzedek intervened in June 2017 and helped secure permanent protections for the building, making it a rent-controlled residential hotel, where residents could not be evicted without just cause. In the late summer of 2017, Bet Tzedek was publicly acknowledged for their leadership in combating elder abuse by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
In 2018, Bet Tzedek, in collaboration with the L.A. City Attorney's office and other local organizations, secured over $1M in restitution for approximately 60 car wash employees in a wage theft case. The award is considered one of the largest restitution payments to car wash workers in Los Angeles. Bet Tzedek's Employment Rights Program has helped secure nearly $40M in judgments and settlements for workers since its inception in 2001.
Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Bet Tzedek, with Irell & Manella LLP and Public Counsel, filed twin class actions lawsuits on behalf of L.A. County homeowners, alleging issues with the financial practices of two companies with which the county operates the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program, which finances "green" home improvements. Though the PACE program was intended to serve a public good — funding energy-efficient home improvements that should save consumers money and reduce the collective environmental footprint. However, the implementation of the program had raised concerns, with some homeowners reporting financial difficulties, drawing comparisons to the subprime lending crisis.
On April 13, 2018, the Los Angeles LGBT Bar Association awarded Bet Tzedek with their Community Service Award for its work promoting trans equality. Since its inception in 2016, Bet Tzedek's Transgender Advocacy Project has helped 994 individuals and trained over 60 volunteer attorneys and advocates.
In June 2019, Governor Newsom signed a budget that includes millions of dollars to eliminate the years-long waitlist for victims of wage theft seeking compensation. The Garment Worker Center, Bet Tzedek, and the UCLA Labor Center made the budget request on behalf of garment workers, with assistance from the Western Center on Law & Poverty.