The PennZone

PHILADELPHIA - PennZone -- Feldman Shepherd is pleased to announce that partner Bethany R. Nikitenko has been honored with The Legal Intelligencer's Power Player Award. The award recognizes attorneys who, through their advocacy, made a significant impact in 2024 on public policy, legislation or jurisprudence in Pennsylvania.

In 2024, Nikitenko played an instrumental role in shutting down Philadelphia's for-profit eviction system following a string of eviction-related shootings.

For over 50 years, most evictions in Philadelphia were performed by a private attorney appointed by the Philadelphia Municipal Court president judge as a landlord-tenant officer (LTO). The LTO deputized armed independent contractors to perform evictions at a substantial savings over the cost of evictions performed by the Sheriff's Department. These private contractors were not sworn law enforcement officers or government employees. They carried their own firearms and were not required to complete any formal training, including de-escalation training.

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The LTO collected millions in fees from landlords for providing the hired muscle to perform evictions.

For years, Philadelphia City Council Members had unsuccessfully tried to shut down this for-profit system. Following a string of incidents in which the deputized contractors shot two tenants and shot at a tenant's dog, Nikitenko, working with housing advocates, became a public voice against for-profit evictions. She kept a spotlight on the issue by speaking in public forums and with numerous media outlets.

City Council members consulted with Nikitenko regarding new legislation that would end the LTO. She suggested that the legislation include a $2 million minimum insurance requirement. In June 2024, she testified before the City Council in support of the legislation and participated in a press conference announcing its passage. On July 30, 2024, the LTO announced that it was ceasing operations because it could not obtain the requisite insurance.

At Feldman Shepherd, Nikitenko represents those who have been catastrophically injured by medical malpractice, auto and motor vehicle accidents, unsafe buildings, defective products and sexual abuse. She engages in numerous pro bono and volunteer activities in the Philadelphia community and presently serves on the Board of Directors of Philadelphia VIP.

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"We are all proud of Bethany for taking on an important public policy issue arising from one of her cases. Through smart advocacy and persistence, she brought about important change to an eviction process that desperately needed reform. Bravo, Bethany!" said Co-Managing Partner Alan M. Feldman.

About Feldman Shepherd
Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock Dodig LLP (https://feldmanshepherd.com/) has recovered some of the largest verdicts and settlements in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and several other states across the country. The firm represents plaintiffs in significant personal injury and complex civil litigation including medical malpractice, birth injury, motor vehicle accidents, truck accidents, construction and workplace accidents, defective products, crashworthiness, class actions, and whistleblower claims.