Unless you are from the ATL, you probably haven’t heard of the Battle of Atlanta. Two parties, armed with pro bono lawyers from BigLaw firms, have battled for decades over the homeless. Earlier this week, the Eleventh Circuit may have ended the federal dispute by affirming summary judgment.

Before we get to the case, you need to know about the history of homelessness in Atlanta. According to the ABA Journal, the city of Atlanta has torn down nearly 4,700 public housing units, engaged in sweeps to arrest the homeless for trespassing, and now has set their sights on the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless, a facility that houses between 500 and 700 men each night.

What is the city’s complaint? It says it has to do with hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid water and sewer bills. The Task Force, and attorney Steven Hall of Baker Donelson, argue that the motivations are closer to greed and racism. The former Coca-Cola factory turned shelter is in a valuable area on Peachtree Street. The clientele are almost exclusively African-American.

The Task Force’s claims were tossed via summary judgment in September 2011. The Eleventh Circuit affirmed two days ago. Among the notable findings were:

Related Resources:

  • Metropolitan Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless v. City of Atlanta, Georgia (Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals)
  • 11th Circuit: Defendant May Be Sentenced Without Indictment (FindLaw’s Eleventh Circuit Blog)
  • The Supreme Court Wreaks Havoc in the Lower Federal Courts–Again (FindLaw’s Writ)

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