Cobb family says they had minutes to collect their stuff before being ‘wrongfully’ evicted

ACWORTH, Ga. — Genetra and Robert Quick, along with their three daughters, say they were wrongfully evicted from an Acworth rental home.

“We got a knock at the door and it was Cobb County. He said, ‘You guys are leaving with the clothes on your back,’” Genetra Quick told Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Ashli Lincoln.

Genetra Quick says they were in the process of moving after the landlords declined to renew their lease. They say they were only given one month’s notice to move.

Part of a court agreement included the family moving out of the home by the end of July 15. On July 16, the Quicks say their landlord was accompanied by two Cobb County police officers.

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The Quicks were receiving rental assistance from a metro Atlanta nonprofit that was paying a percentage of their rent. Genetra Quick is the sole provider. Robert Quick says he’s unable to work because of a chronic medical condition.

A court judgement ruled they still owed $4,600, including rent through June 30, 2023. A Cobb County judge ruled during a July 21 hearing to have the Quicks pay their landlord the outstanding balance.

The couple said due to the expensive rental industry they, along with the nonprofit, were having a difficult time finding affordable housing.

Genetra Quick showed Lincoln text messages between herself and the landlord notifying the landlord they were in the process of packing on July 16. The Quicks say they thought they had an agreement with their landlord allowing an additional day to pack up based on those text messages.

Genetra says the police officers gave them minutes to grab whatever they could and leave the home. She says the officers threatened to arrest them for trespassing if they didn’t leave.

The Quicks say a majority of their items were left behind, including critical medicine for Robert.

“Seeing sad faces on my kids it’s been pretty rough, I’m trying my best not to go to the hospital, I don’t have insurance,” Robert said.

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A spokesperson with the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office told Channel 2 Action News in a statement they are the only law enforcement agency that works with the Cobb County courts to execute evictions.

“Sheriffs were supposed to come out, they were supposed to have paperwork in hand, so we knew right then this was illegal, this wasn’t done right,” Quick said.

The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office went on to say the department doesn’t physically remove tenants’ items, arrest tenants for inability to pay their rent and decide who gets evicted and who does not. They also do not provide legal advice to tenants facing eviction.

Lincoln spoke with the landlords, Donald and Jennifer Freeland, over the phone. Both denied any wrongdoing and said they didn’t tell the police to force the family to leave the house.

“Cobb County police would have to be the ones to provide statements for their actions,” Quick said.

After learning about Cobb County police not allowing the Quicks to retrieve their items, a Cobb County judge ruled to allow the family to return to the home to retrieve their belongings.

Channel 2 Action News reached out to Cobb County Police for a comment. A spokesperson told us they were looking into these claims. They have not provided us with a comment at this time.

The Quicks have started a GoFundMe campaign to help with moving expenses.

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