Emmons v. Jesso (Cal. Ct. App. - Aug. 27, 2025)

You don't see many landlord/tenant disputes in the Court of Appeal, much less published opinions about them. Or at least very few about back rent. Toxic mold, vicarious liability for criminal injuries, and big-ticket issues like that occasionally percolate up, but not $11,000 back rent disputes. At least not often.

But today, yep, a tiny dispute (in the scheme of things) about fourteen months of back rent. Which -- even though it's California -- the Court of Appeal holds that, yes, the tenant owes it. Judgment affirmed.

There's a lot of other stuff in the opinion about relocation expenses, statutes, rent stabilization ordinances, etc., all of which is important. But that's the bottom line.

Pay your rent.