Former residents achieve victory in case against landlord, following earlier $800,000 settlement with City of Española

ESPAÑOLA, N.M. — Former residents of the Santa Clara Apartments have reached a settlement with the apartments’ landlord and his management companies, bringing full resolution to a case centered on tenants’ efforts to demand accountability for the conditions and displacement they endured.

The New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty and attorneys Daniel Yohalem and Richard Rosenstock represented 24 former Santa Clara Apartments residents in a lawsuit against landlord John Bosley, Bosley Management Inc., and other affiliated companies, as well as the City of Española. The Santa Clara Apartments was one of the few federally-subsidized affordable housing complexes for low-income residents of the Española area, where housing options are already limited.

The Complaint alleged that despite collecting millions of dollars in rent from tenants and federal housing funds over the years, the landlords failed to provide the basic maintenance, security, and property management necessary to keep Santa Clara Apartments safe and habitable. Residents experienced years of unsafe and unsanitary living conditions, including inadequate building security, neglected maintenance and repairs, and dangerous activity occurring in common areas that should have been properly secured and maintained.

The building itself remained structurally sound, but residents endured years of unsafe and unsanitary conditions because their concerns and repeated requests for repairs went unaddressed.

In August 2025, the residents reached a settlement with the City of Española for $800,000, resolving claims related to the City’s role in the closure of the Santa Clara Apartments, but continued the case against the landlord.

The residents have now also reached a separate settlement with the landlord, resolving all remaining claims in the lawsuit. The terms and amount of that settlement are confidential. Both settlements were reached to the great satisfaction of the former residents.

“Throughout this process, our clients showed incredible strength and determination in standing up for themselves and their neighbors,” said Riley Masse, Economic Equity attorney at the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty. “They knew they deserved compensation for their mistreatment, and they came together to demand accountability. This settlement is a reminder that tenants have rights and that landlords cannot ignore their responsibilities under state and local laws to the people and communities who call their properties home. When residents come together, they have the power to hold systems accountable and create change.”

“This was our home and our community,” said Arthur Martinez, a former Santa Clara Apartments resident. “We looked out for each other, and we knew we had the right to a safe and comfortable place to live. We are grateful that our voices were heard and that we were able to stand together to hold people accountable.”

“Our neighbors at Santa Clara Apartments supported each other and wanted the same thing everyone wants — a safe home and to be treated with respect,” said Melissa Green, a former resident. “This settlement shows why tenants’ concerns must be taken seriously and why residents deserve to have their voices heard.”

The Santa Clara Apartments case highlights the critical legal obligations of landlords to maintain safe, livable housing—obligations that are all the more important given New Mexico’s shortage of affordable housing. The people who live in that housing deserve safe conditions, responsive landlords, and a voice in decisions affecting their homes and communities. When landlords fail to live up to those obligations, legal accountability is essential.