Easthampton tenants win eviction cases through pre-trial mediation
Source: The Reminder | By Trent Levakis | February 20, 2026
EASTHAMPTON — Two Pine Valley tenants have won their eviction cases following what they and many other tenants of Pine Valley Realty have called unfair hikes in rent.
The two Pine Valley tenants, Mona Shadi and Roland De Caires, were notified by Pine Valley Realty of rent increases of $300 and $350 last August. When their leases were up in October, both tenants refused to pay the higher amount and continued to pay their existing rent, as is in their right under Massachusetts law, leading to mediation between the parties.
In December, a press conference was held inside Easthampton City Hall by the Pine Valley Tenants Association, who were joined by the Easthampton Tenants Union, Northampton Tenants, other tenant advocates and state Rep. Homar Gomez. Tenants and organizers collected more than 600 signed letters from community members expressing their support, and the letters were hand-delivered to the Pine Valley Realty office following the conference in an attempt to get landlord Matthew Gawle to negotiate in good faith.
These requests were denied, and Gawle initiated no-fault evictions against Shadi and De Caires.
Through organized actions by the Easthampton Tenants Union and the legal counsel of Joel Feldman, whose Springfield firm specializes in tenants’ rights, a successful outcome was reached after two pre-trial mediation sessions. The two neighbors will now pay increases of only $45 and $50, respectively, locked in with a one-year lease and will receive substantial monetary damages.
“These Easthampton tenants were glad to work out a resolution of their cases through the mediation process, rather than having to defend themselves in an eviction trail,” said Feldman. “The results here show the benefits of landlords being willing to meet at the earliest possible time with their tenants and then negotiating face-to-face, rather than unilaterally putting their tenants at risk of eviction and potential homelessness.”
Also part of the negotiation was a demand that Pine Valley Realty engage in collective bargaining for all of its tenants. A meeting date is currently being set.
Following the December press conference, Gawle and his wife Donna told Reminder Publishing through a joint statement that the rent increases were in response to the rising cost of living.
“We have explained our situation to the tenants, who requested negotiations. We kept rent as low as possible for as long as possible,” they said in December. “We are open to finding solutions to keep local landlords and tenants in Easthampton. However, we feel the community has spoken.”
When contacted about the mediated cases, Pine Valley Realty did not respond for comment by print time.
Reflecting on the course of events, Shadi highlighted the critical importance of both organizing with other tenants and having access to legal counsel. She noted that on average, there are 40,000 evictions in Massachusetts every year, with 25% of those being no-fault. Meanwhile, only 7% of tenants who are evicted have legal representation.
While this is a successful example of collective action in the face of unfair rent hikes, Easthampton Tenants Union member Ilene Roizman told Reminder Publishing that many other tenants agreed to pay more because they believed they had no choice.
“That’s one of the two things we were trying to emphasize, is having access to legal counsel is critical and most people don’t. As part of the legal process, there is an opportunity for both sides to sit down with their lawyers and try to hash it out, and that’s what they did,” said Roizman. “As far as the other tenants are concerned, that’s where the other component of the big picture comes in: the organizing. By organizing and forming their own tenants’ association, and working for collective bargaining, they will be able to negotiate. And the intention is to negotiate for everyone.”
With the support of the Easthampton Tenants Union, Pine Valley tenants continue to organize and take action against rent increases and maintenance issues that have been ignored for years. Gawle owns multiple apartment complexes in Easthampton that total around 230 units.
