Fitting

I. BACKGROUND

The eight plaintiffs in this action are tenants in a six-unit San Francisco apartment building owned and operated by Kraaijvanger. The property is managed by Real Equity Group One, LLC (the LLC), which is allegedly Kraaijvanger’s alter ego. In September 2012, plaintiffs sued Kraaijvanger and the LLC (collectively, defendants) for tenant harassment pursuant to section 37.10B of the San Francisco Administrative Code. Kraaijvanger claims plaintiffs brought this suit in retaliation for an unlawful detainer action he filed against one of the plaintiffs and Benny Martin, plaintiffs’ counsel.3 According to plaintiffs’ complaint, defendants demanded plaintiffs provide private, personal, and confidential information, including birth certificates, Social Security numbers, bank information, and the personal relationships of the plaintiffs within each unit. Plaintiffs also alleged defendants installed cameras around the property for the specific purpose of monitoring plaintiffs and their visitors and to coerce them into surrendering their tenancies. Kraaijvanger was served with the summons and complaint on October 9, 2012. On October 19, 2012, plaintiffs filed an application…