In their study of eviction rates in Philadelphia, David A. Hoffman of Penn Law and Anton Strezhnev of University of Chicago explore the role of transit to court in preventing tenants from asserting their rights. The study found that tenants living further away from the courthouse, relying on mass public transit to attend their eviction hearings, were more likely to fail to show up to their hearings, leading to eviction by default. However, when tenants were offered virtual hearings, the effect of commuting on eviction rates disappeared. Accounting for other factors, the study found a causal relationship between commuting time and default.
“These results open up a new way to study the drivers of this important social phenomenon – including increased use of video technology in court and relaxing the requirement to show up to the courthouse by a particular time – and may significantly reduce barriers to justice,” said Hoffman in an interview on the study. “Other alternatives, such as easy rescheduling and no-excuse reopening, are available and would reduce the barriers to justice that cause evictions.”
Hoffman’s research and teaching focuses on contract law, with much of his work being interdisciplinarily done through collaborations with co-authors from a number of fields.
The study, entitled “Longer Trips to Court Cause Evictions,” is available on SSRN.