WASHINGTON, US - JULY 12: Mold is seen inside of a bathtub at the Westgate Laurel apartment complex on July 12, 2022 in Laurel, MD. More than 50 families at the Westgate Laurel apartment complex have planned a rent strike in August unless their concerns have been addressed by the property management company. (Michael A. McCoy/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Los Angeles, California – California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a sweeping lawsuit Thursday against Southern California landlord Mike Nijjar, accusing him, his family members, and associated companies of widespread tenant abuse across thousands of rental properties concentrated in the region’s poorest neighborhoods.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, stems from a more than two-year investigation by the California Department of Justice. It paints a damning portrait of Nijjar’s business practices, alleging that his companies — operating under the name PAMA Management — maintained unsafe, unsanitary conditions in thousands of rental units while systematically violating state housing and anti-discrimination laws.
Nijjar is believed to control more than 22,000 rental units throughout Southern California, making him one of the largest private landlords in the state. Many of these properties are concentrated in low-income neighborhoods, where residents often have few housing alternatives. According to the lawsuit, PAMA’s properties have long been plagued by leaking roofs, mold, vermin infestations, and raw sewage — issues that have persisted despite repeated tenant complaints and multiple lawsuits.
California officials say these are not isolated problems but the result of a calculated business strategy. Rather than investing in maintenance and qualified staff, the lawsuit alleges, PAMA relied on makeshift repairs and untrained handymen while keeping tenant rents artificially high. The complaint also alleges PAMA deliberately misled tenants about their legal rights and employed lease language designed to invalidate protections guaranteed under California law.
In addition to habitability violations, the lawsuit accuses Nijjar of unlawfully discriminating against tenants who rely on public assistance. In several documented cases, the company allegedly told Section 8 voucher holders that no units were available, while simultaneously renting to other tenants who did not require subsidies. The suit also contends that Nijjar’s companies repeatedly violated the state’s rent cap law, raising costs by as much as 20% by shifting utility expenses onto tenants and circumventing legal limits.
This is not the first time Nijjar has come under scrutiny. Past investigations have linked his properties to serious safety violations, including a 2016 mobile home fire in Kern County that killed an infant. Despite some regulatory penalties and legal settlements over the years, Nijjar has continued to expand and restructure his business holdings, often avoiding long-term accountability.
Attorney General Bonta’s lawsuit seeks restitution for tenants, financial penalties, and a court order blocking Nijjar and PAMA from continuing the alleged practices. The suit positions itself as a challenge to the longstanding impunity of some of California’s most powerful landlords and a call for stronger enforcement in a housing system often defined by imbalance and neglect.
