9-Attachment 1 - Sample Transcript.pdf

HUNT REPORTING COMPANY

Court Reporting and Litigation Support

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IN THE DISTRICT COURT FOR BALTIMORE CITY, MARYLAND

STATEWIDE MANAGEMENT, LLC,

Plaintiff, vs.

MARION PIETRO,

Defendant.

Case No.: D-01-CV-25-029080

OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT OF PROCEEDINGS

COURT TRIAL

September 11, 2025

BEFORE:

HONORABLE WILLIAM MICHAEL DUNN, ASSOCIATE JUDGE

APPEARANCES:

For the Plaintiff:

KEVIN FINSON, ESQUIRE

For the Defendant:

MARION PIETRO, PRO SE

Electronic Proceedings Transcribed by: Tamara Bentzur

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C O N T E N T S

P a g e

RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 3

COURT'S RULING 27

PLAINTIFF'S

WITNESSES DIRECT CROSS REDIRECT RECROSS

Shayla Fields 5 9

DEFENDANT'S

WITNESSES DIRECT CROSS REDIRECT RECROSS

Marion Pietro 11

PLAINTIFF'S

EXHIBITS FOR IDENTIFICATION IN EVIDENCE

Exhibit No. 1 PREMARKED 6 (Management Agreement)

Exhibit No. 3 PREMARKED 8 (Rental license)

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P R O C E E D I N G S

(10:04 a.m.)

THE CLERK: Case Number 29080, 2025. Statewide

Management, LLC v. Marion Pietro. Sorry if I mispronounced.

THE CLERK: Pietro.

MS. PIETRO: That's okay.

THE COURT: Good morning.

MR. FINSON: Good morning, Your Honor. Kevin

Finson, on behalf of Statewide Management, LLC.

THE COURT: All right. And this is a tenant

MR. FINSON: We have spoken, Your Honor.

Unfortunately, we have not been able to reach an agreement.

We have offered time, but the tenant is not interested in the consent judgment.

THE COURT: Okay, but you've seen how it works

MS. PIETRO: Correct.

THE COURT

their favor you, me, and they all lose control over when that eviction happens. It just happens as soon as the sheriff can get to it.

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you to hear my case because it's not just about a tenant

THE COURT: To me, spiteful has nothing to do with it. All I do is look at whether there's a lease or not and what's been happening since.

MS. PIETRO

seven years I've been in that place.

THE COURT: Okay. All right. Well, do both of you want to raise your right hand, and we'll swear you in?

MARION PIETRO,

the Defendant, having been duly sworn according to law, was examined and testified as follows:

MS. PIETRO: Yes, I do okay.

SHAYLA FIELDS,

the Plaintiff, having been duly sworn according to law, was examined and testified as follows:

THE WITNESS: I do.

THE COURT: Anybody wish to be heard? Opening statement, or you just want to get right to the trial?

MR. FINSON: Let's get right to it, Your Honor.

THE COURT: You just want to get right to the trial.

MR. FINSON: Yeah.

THE COURT: Okay.

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DIRECT EXAMINATION

BY MR. FINSON:

Q All right. Could you state your name for the record, please?

A Shayla Fields.

Q And Ms. Fields, what is your connection to

Statewide Management, LLC?

A I'm the property manager.

Q And does Statewide Management, LLC manage the property known as 3705 Lombard Street unit A?

A Yes.

Q Okay. And you manage that on behalf of Empire

Properties 2024, LLC?

A That is correct.

Q Okay. Passing you right now what is marked as

Plaintiff's 1. Is this a true and accurate copy of your management agreement?

A Yes.

Q It gives you the authority to be here today.

A Yes.

MR. FINSON: I move to admit Plaintiff's 1.

MS. PIETRO: See, I wasn't even aware of Empire.

This is the first time I'm hearing about Empire. I'm under

Statewide Management.

THE COURT: Okay. Without objection. So moved.

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(Whereupon, Plaintiff Exhibit No. 1 was admitted into evidence.)

BY MR. FINSON:

Q And when you took over management of the property, when Statewide Management took over management of the premises, was there a tenant occupying the property?

A Yes, there was.

Q Okay. And is that tenant Marion Pietro?

A That is correct.

Q Okay. Did you receive from the prior owner, signed, executed lease?

A No.

Q Okay. Did you receive notes or information about that tenancy?

A That is correct.

Q you receive about the tenancy?

A property and the monthly rent and the deposit.

Q

A Yes it was.

Q Okay. And the monthly rent?

A 650.

Q Okay. And how much was the security deposit?

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A I do not remember.

Q brought that up. Did there come a time when you sent a notice to terminate the tenancy?

A Yes.

Q Okay. And what I have marked as Plaintiff's 2.

Is this a true and accurate copy of that notice?

A Yes it is.

Q Okay. And does that give more than 60 days for the tenant to vacate?

A Yes it does.

MR. FINSON: Okay. I've passed Plaintiff's

Exhibit 2 to admit.

THE COURT: Let me examine it.

BY MR. FINSON:

Q Is the property duly licensed to be a rental property in the City of Baltimore?

A Yes.

Q It is. Okay. And what I've marked as

Plaintiff's 3, is this a true and accurate copy of the rental license?

A Yes it is.

MR. FINSON: Okay. Move to admit Plaintiff's 3.

THE COURT: Give me one second. So admitted, but still. Give me a second to look at this other exhibit.

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(Whereupon, Plaintiff Exhibit No. 3 was admitted into evidence.)

MR. FINSON: Of course.

THE COURT: Okay.

BY MR. FINSON:

Q have communications with the tenant about the condition of the property?

A Yes we did.

Q And can you tell me, what did she bring up, and how did your office respond?

A That there were numerous issues in the property.

And we came out to inspect the property and found that the only way to correct the majority of the issues in the property would be for the tenant to vacate the property.

THE COURT: And did you offer her other

Statewide Management?

A Yes. Originally we did offer her a different unit, but currently we don't have anything else available to be able to for the same rental amount.

MS. PIETRO: Excuse me. Can I interject?

THE COURT: No. Not yet.

MS. PIETRO: Okay.

THE COURT: You'll have a chance to cross-examine

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her when they're done.

MS. PIETRO: Okay.

BY MR. FINSON:

Q And there was a discussion about rent as well.

You said the original rent was 650.

A It was 650, yes.

Q the rent when you took over management?

A Yes, we did.

Q Were payments made under that increased rent?

A One month the payment was made under the increased rent. And then the Defendant resulted back to the original rental amount.

MR. FINSON: I think that covers everything.

Your Honor, those are my questions for this witness.

THE COURT: What was the increased amount?

THE WITNESS: $1,000 rent.

THE COURT: All right. Now is your opportunity to cross-examine her, which basically means to ask her questions based on what she just testified to. It's not your chance yet to tell me your side of the story, but you'll get that opportunity.

CROSS EXAMINATION

BY MS. PIETRO:

Q When you guys came to my house to inspect, and

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you found that I was not lying because you guys really thought I was exaggerating the problems, your thing was

Oh, my God. And the gentleman with you, and you even asked if you could take pictures, correct?

A Correct.

Q And you were most pleasant and everything. Not over on Jefferson and Monroe, which is way too far away from my job and my doctors and everything. And he said he would get back with me, and nothing has been done since apartment, and that I would have to kill my dog because

MR. FINSON: Objection. This is testifying.

THE COURT: Sustained.

Do you have any questions for her?

BY MS. PIETRO:

Q When was I offered another place besides that place?

MR. FINSON: There is nothing in evidence that place.

THE COURT: Okay, but she can ask the question.

A

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Q

Q And as for the rent going back down, it's because when you came to the house, we were supposed to discuss my lease. And the lady that was there with me is my tenant advocate. She had an emergency, and her child was in the hospital at the moment. She has all my lease things. And this is the reason why the rent changed.

MR. FINSON: Objection. Testifying.

THE COURT: Sustained.

BY MS. PIETRO:

Q

THE COURT: This isn't your time to testify. You can only ask questions.

MS. PIETRO: Okay. Well, I don't know what else to say.

THE COURT: All right. Any redirect?

MR. FINSON: No, Your Honor.

THE COURT: Any other witnesses?

MR. FINSON: No, Your Honor.

THE COURT: All right. That's the Plaintiff's case.

DIRECT EXAMINATION

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BY THE COURT:

Q Now it's your time to tell me what you want to tell me.

A

I've been there, and my lease is supposed to be up at the end of July. And they gave me the proper notices and everything. Now, here's the thing. I've been with three different management companies, three different owners, all of which would do nothing to fix it.

Mr. Benjamin comes along and I finally, you know, I get a notice of an increase after I paid the 650. They bought it in December, end of December they finalized.

January I sent my payments to them on time of 650. February

They raised the rent up $400, which is insane amount.

And that's when I started complaining again to the new people that have it. And I kept on complaining, and I kept on complaining. Usually, I just keep quiet. Had I not my house and not having a problem and not begging people for a place to live and taking my animals. And I wouldn't have a problem with my blood pressure going sky high and having more attacks because now I'm stressed of being homeless.

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keep me there until January. He said that's the longest I can do. I'm not there to cause a problem. I'm there to try to find a place.

I also applied for, with my tenant advocate help, (sic), you know. So I'm working on that as well. I'm in applying all the, you know, getting all the material stuff together.

talking with to try to get a place to move to until I can get a house that I can afford to buy. You know, while I'm working with the buyback.

the assumption that I had until January, you know, and I paid August rent. This is the first month that I did not pay was September's rent, you know, and it's been on time.

If you look at the payment history, my payment history is on time, even though it's not what they had wanted me to pay.

I'm not going to pay, you know, $1,050 a month for rats that are crawling on you. That's why I have cats.

And I don't even particularly like cats. But I have cats, I have mice, I have rat holes, cat holes. The water is pouring in, in the hallway.

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Q

A I was scared to death because every time I have done anything, I've gotten put out of my homes. So I've

I've learned over the years you keep your mouth shut and just roll with the punches and do what you can.

Q Well, it's unfortunate for you because, like I agree, no one should have to live with rats.

A Right.

Q

A I just replaced the sink in the bathroom.

Q amount.

A I understand. I don't care about that.

Q The landlord gets to set the rent.

A I mean, I'll pay that money as long as I can stay. Because the maintenance man that was with her said we could do one room at a time. I've done without furniture because my furniture has been eaten up into.

I'm on my fourth living room set because of the rats and the mice, the fourth one. I sleep on that because I no longer have a bed because the rats have destroyed everything. The roof leaks where the skylight is. My bed was destroyed, so I can't even go in that room and sleep because the central air went out. The central air went out

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six years ago.

You know, that is my home. I mean, as filthy as it might be and as deplorable as it is, it's still my home.

You know, I work minimum wage. I work 60 hours a week when

I'm not in and out of the hospital because I do have COPD and asthma and emphysema.

The rats have literally ate my oxygen thing up. The portable thing that you have the oxygen on that electric goes in it. Literally I had to send it back, and it was loaded with, you know, feces. But that's why I have the cats. And now that I have the cats, I haven't lost my living room set. I haven't lost any more clothes or furniture or anything else.

be fixed. You know, it's not a whole lot. He wants it beautified. And I get that. I would love to have a beautified place, you know. I would love to see that place the way it deserves to be fixed, the way it deserves to be.

But that's still my home. And yes, it's their property, but it's still my home.

It's a property to them. It's numbers to them. I'm just, you know, I'm just a number. I'm not a person to them. You know, I'm a financial thing. I'm costing them money by being there. I don't want to do that to nobody.

I just want to be able to stay.

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You know, they didn't even know who they were renting

to. I got letters for Mr. Pietro. So you know, this is, you know, my like I said, my tenant advocate would have been here with me, but her son's in the hospital, you know, and she calls me last night. So I don't know what else to do.

I just need time to get everything in order. I move slower, I work slower. I tried to get help. I don't even drive, I do MTA. I got to line up everything to get somebody to take my stuff.

And I spent over $1,000 on a bathroom sink that is absolutely gorgeous. And if I get a house, I want to be able to take it with me because they're just going to trash

it. You know, I know they are. Because if you would see it, it's absolutely gorgeous. It's the best thing in the house right now. You know.

Q That's why I wish you guys had worked something

MR. FINSON: We did make the attempt, Your Honor.

BY THE COURT:

Q And I wish you had filed a tenant or a escrow case.

A

Q assuming all that is true.

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A I got pictures.

Q

A She's seen it.

Q

A I don't fault this company at all for that because, like I said, they just bought it in December.

They finalized it, and in January implemented the raises and all. I don't fault them for that. They bought it sight unseen.

You know, you got to be careful when you do things like that. I mean, you got a perfect stream. I have spent money on getting sump pumps to replace down in the crawl space because there's a natural stream there.

You can't do nothing with it. It's constantly filling. You're going to constantly go through sump pumps because there's supposed to be designed to last five years.

I've been there seven full years, and I've been through four of them already. So it's a sump pump every year.

You know, it's just minor things but that are major, and it won't take them no time. And that's why I don't understand why they can't do room by room. Like I work night work, you know? You know, I just don't understand why they can't fix it room by room.

THE COURT: Is there a reason you can't? I mean, Serving Maryland, Washington, and Virginia

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MS. FIELDS: I don't know.

THE COURT: You have the right to do it however you want. You're the owner of the house. But it's also hard to find good tenants that regularly pay. It sounds like she's been that for a long time. Maybe not to you, but to the previous. Is there?

THE WITNESS

THE COURT: Is there a way it can be repaired room by room, if that's what she wants to do? If she continues to pay the 650 until it's done and then agrees to pay the $1,000 once it's done?

THE WITNESS

aware, Your Honor, it's more extensive than.

THE WITNESS: The roof needs to be repaired in the back, because what they did was took a house and, you know, a row home and made it into an apartment and then added a back to it. That's why the downstairs has central air.

BY THE COURT:

Q So you understand, though, why they need you out.

A I understand, but they still can do it. I mean, I know a lot of construction workers.

Q Yeah.

A with it. The foundation is excellent. The core of that

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house is excellent. I just replaced a wall. I did the whole back wall.

Q Yeah, but it's going to cost them twice as much money to do it while someone's in the house than if belongings are in there, they can just go in and rip everything out, throw it out the window.

A

You know, and I can. I'm already getting rid of a half of the stuff I have because I was homeless already, and then I just acquired all this stuff.

Q I don't want to see you homeless. I mean, you sound like a very nice lady.

A one job, so I can't be too bad at something.

Q No, I agree, that's why I wish there was a way to work it out. Because you also sound smart enough to understand the situation. Like you don't have a right to be there anymore.

A And I understand that. I'm just asking for some

Q I can't give time. That's the whole thing. Like

I say, try to work things out because only you guys can agree to time. I can't. I just do an order. I say who wins, who loses, and then the sheriff does the eviction

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when it's convenient for him.

MR. FINSON: And we tried to have this conversation in the hallway.

MS. PIETRO: Well, can we work on at least another month? Would that be feasible?

THE COURT: I think a month is fair.

MR. FINSON: I think a month is fair, Your Honor, but at this point, I would ask the Court to enter a judgment. And if we can, speaking with the owner, can get that delay, we'd be happy to do so. But I would, at this point, after we've had the trial, I'd ask the Court not order a stay.

MS. PIETRO: What does that mean?

MR. FINSON

THE COURT: Can you call the owner now and see if we can at least rest her mind that she has a month?

MS. FIELDS: Yes. Your Honor, if I can just step outside.

THE COURT: And then ask if she can get her sink back too, if he's going to throw it away.

MS. PIETRO: If he's going to throw it, if he's not, then he can keep it. I mean, because it's the most beautiful piece in there.

THE COURT: I'm sure they're going to throw it

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MS. PIETRO: They're going to remodel.

THE COURT: It's not going to match everything else they do.

MS. FIELDS: Yes, I'm sure we could make that accommodation for sure for the sink. I just need to step

THE COURT: Okay, yeah, that's fine.

MR. FINSON: Thank you very much, Your Honor.

THE CLERK: Ma'am, you can just have a seat.

MS. PIETRO: Okay. Thank you.

THE CLERK: You too, Counsel. I'm sorry.

MR. FINSON: Thank you.

THE COURT: Yeah. We can go off the record.

That's fine.

(Recess.)

THE CLERK: Recalling case number 029080

THE CLERK: We're back on the record.

MR. FINSON: All right. Good morning again, Your

Honor. Kevin Finson, on behalf of Statewide Management, LLC. My colleague has been out in the hallway communicating with the owner of the premises. We do not have authority to consent to a stay at this time. I do

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apologize.

THE COURT: Does he understand her right to file an appeal, and how many months that would take to get through the appeal process?

MS. FIELDS: Yes, Your Honor. It's just that it's been in communication for a while in regards to the fact that Ms. Pietro was going to have to vacate the property, and that we had given her the nonrenewal notice with time in mind, at that point, for her to be able to get things in order to be able to relocate.

MS. PIETRO: Will I have rights to an appeal?

THE COURT: Yep.

MS. PIETRO: Because none of this would be it's all a retaliation. And you know, if I kept my mouth shut and paid the $1,050 and dealt with everything, I wouldn't be standing here today. You wouldn't be hearing

me. You wouldn't be seeing me begging for everything. But that's the story. That is the truth.

THE COURT: I wish you had filed a rent escrow because they wouldn't be able to do that at that point.

know. Like I said, this all just happened with them. This has been ongoing before they got it. And every time I said

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said, well, you can't do nothing because the landlord don't care.

I didn't know about everything. It's all since then I've been educating myself and looking up laws and advocate. Like I said, she guides me through a lot. Like

I said, I'm in the process of now trying to buy a home in this city, the city that I love, that I left for many years and came back with all of its faults and gun violence and everything. I see it all the time, every day.

THE COURT: Well, I have to follow the law whether I like it or not.

MS. PIETRO: I understand.

THE COURT: And most of the time I like it.

Sometimes, good people are on the wrong side of the law.

MS. PIETRO: It's been my life.

THE COURT: I wish the call had been more

MS. PIETRO: I do because he told me he gave me until January, and I had proof I had people.

THE COURT: Because you're willing to still pay the $600 a month, right?

MS. PIETRO: Yeah. Even willing to pay the

1,050, if that's what they want.

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THE COURT: You shouldn't have to pay 1,050, because if an escrow case was opened, the way it sounds, even from their own testimony, it sounds like the rent is probably closer to zero.

MS. PIETRO: It's bad. The floor just caved in, in the bathroom. You got to be careful how you walk in the bathroom.

MR. FINSON: I would point out that there was a rental license inspection done in January, Your Honor. So if these conditions are as described, there's no way the property would be licensed.

MS. PIETRO: Yes. Yes it was

THE COURT: Except your witness testified that it's so bad that she would need to be out of the house to rectify all the problems.

MR. FINSON: That's true, yes.

MS. PIETRO: Those three guys came in when I told to be rude.

When those gentlemen came in to inspect the house, he says I'm not here to talk to you about what the problems are. I'm here to inspect the structure of the house. I said, well, this has been on fire. This has been on fire. The floor is caving in, the wall's caving in.

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it. And he's sitting there checking off like the place is a grand mansion. That's the God's honest truth. Not only once did that happen. I mean, the LED (phonetic ) thing is not even right.

THE COURT: You deserve to be in a nicer place anyway.

MS. PIETRO: But I can't afford a nicer place.

When people make minimum wage, there is nothing out there for us, nothing except homelessness and tents. Do you know how many people I know that are on the streets because of the same circumstances? Not because of drugs, not because of depression and all, but because they can't afford to find any place to live.

what it's like to be homeless. Growing up, when I was a kid, I was homeless on Patterson Park, sleeping on the benches, eating out of dumpsters, and I swore by God that would never happen again.

THE COURT: I hope it doesn't again.

MS. PIETRO: Well, it's happening because there ain't no way I'm going to be able to have a place in the next couple of weeks, when I've been looking since I got the paperwork. It's like I'm not trying.

THE COURT: Yeah.

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MS. PIETRO: You know, so it is what it is. Me and Patterson Park will get to be good friends again. You know, I got to make jokes about it. That's not going to deter me. And I will file an appeal that I'm allowed to.

THE COURT: Well, I do have to find by preponderance of the evidence that there was a lease at some point in time.

would have been here, and you would have had a copy of that.

THE COURT: That's okay. I have a copy. Well, I terms were, and I think everybody was in agreement with it.

But that that lease was properly terminated by proper notice.

MS. PIETRO: It was.

THE COURT: And that you are now holding over in that property, and they are rightfully licensed, and they have a right to reclaim their property. As unfortunate as it is for you, and as sad as I am having to make that decision.

There's few tenants that are here paid up in full

Especially when the landlord comes in and agrees that the place is basically a slum. Very few landlords are trying

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to get those people out. They're usually happy with receiving the money that you're willing to pay, so it's unfortunate. I wish he was here so I could talk to him.

MS. PIETRO: I wish he was here because he's a nice man, you know? He was nice to me when he was at my house.

THE COURT: So I'm going to grant the judgment for Plaintiff. But I'm going to set an appeal bond of $1.

MR. FINSON: Thank you, Your Honor.

THE COURT: Which means you can talk to your tenant advocate. And if you put up a dollar, you'll be able to appeal this. And that process will probably take several months at least.

MR. FINSON: At least.

MS. PIETRO: Okay. Where do I appeal then?

Where do I do that at?

and file your appeal. There might be a cost associated with that to file it. I don't know.

MS. PIETRO: I don't have any cash on me right now except a dollar.

THE COURT: You'll have ten days to ask for a new trial.

MR. FINSON: Oh wait, let's see. This is something different.

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THE COURT: Yeah. You have ten days to file your appeal, so make sure that's done. Call your tenant advocate today.

MS. PIETRO: Okay. I am. As soon as I get out of here.

THE COURT: Because you'll have ten days to file that appeal.

MR. FINSON: The clerk should have some kind of form about asking for a waiver of costs. So you might ask them about that.

MS. PIETRO: Okay.

THE COURT: In the meantime, knowing that I set your appeal bond at a dollar, the attorney might go back now and talk to the owner, too. And if he comes up with terms, why don't you give him your phone number?

MS. PIETRO: Okay. That'll work.

THE COURT: Because if he can come up with terms and talk some sense into the owner, maybe you can avoid having to file the appeal.

MR. FINSON: What's your number?

MS. PIETRO: (443) 922-5294.

MR. FINSON: All right.

MS. PIETRO: Thank you.

MR. FINSON: And here, I've got a card handy.

MS. PIETRO: Oh, cool.

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MR. FINSON: There you are.

MS. PIETRO: Thank you.

MR. FINSON: All right. Thank you, Your Honor.

THE COURT: All right. Good luck everybody.

MR. FINSON: May we be excused?

THE COURT: Yes.

MS. PIETRO: Thank you for the tissues. And I

(The proceedings concluded.)

Serving Maryland, Washington, and Virginia

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CERTIFICATE OF TRANSCRIBER

I hereby certify that the proceedings in the matter of Statewide Management, LLC v. Marion Pietro, Case

No. D-01-CV-25-029080, heard in the District Court for

Baltimore City, Maryland, on September 11, 2025, were recorded by means of electronic sound recording.

I further certify that to the best of my knowledge and belief, page numbers 1 through 29 constitute a complete and accurate transcript of the proceedings as transcribed by me.

I further certify that I am neither a relative to nor an employee of any attorney or party herein, and that I have no interest in the outcome of the case.

In witness whereof, I have affixed my signature this 19th day of October, 2025.

Tamara Bentzur CET-824