Son of former Underwood Tower resident hopes for legal justice, representing himself in lawsuit against OHA
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OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — Hasani Lee has filed two lawsuits against the Omaha Housing Authority after he says his dad dealt with unsanitary living conditions at Underwood Tower. The trial for those lawsuits is set in June but Lee is hoping a judge can hand down a decision sooner.
In October 2023, Lee left California to visit his dad in Omaha at Underwood Tower. What he found has led him to take on a fight that’s continuing more than a year later.
” We realized that he had a bed bug infestation. And they had a rat issue also, mice,” Lee said.
In 2024, KETV Investigates found mattresses filled with those bed bugs and spoke to Lee outside of Underwood Tower.
“They’ve been biting him for years. Go to the washroom to wash his clothes, you come back with bed bugs on you,” he said at the time.
“The news broke in February the 5th of 2024 and we filed our lawsuit against them March, the 21st of 2024 and now we’re here today,” Lee said Tuesday.
Today, Lee is representing himself in his legal battle against OHA.
“In the beginning, we tried to get lawyers, and no lawyer wanted to take the case,” Lee said.
So, Lee said he and his wife started educating themselves on the law, spending their days at two Omaha libraries and Metro Community College.
“At the college, we’ll be there from 9 in the morning to 7 at night when they’re closing,” he said.
In court Tuesday, Lee presented evidence to see if the judge can hand down a decision for his lawsuits, instead of going forward with a jury trial scheduled for June.
For the first lawsuit based on the living conditions, the judge said he wants time to review the evidence before making a decision.
Lee chose to amend his other lawsuit that he filed against OHA for retaliation. A hearing is scheduled for that in March.
“I’m just hoping that in the end, the people that are affected by their living situations and their living conditions, will finally either have somebody that would give them a voice or they’ll be able to get a voice of their own,” Lee said.
After the court hearing, KETV Newswatch 7 asked an attorney for OHA if they’d like to comment. They declined.
If the judge does not choose to make a ruling on the lawsuits, the case will go to trial.
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