Portland landlord ordered to pay tenants

PORTLAND – A jury has returned a $162,000 verdict against a Portland landlord accused of bullying two tenants in an effort to drive them out so he could charge a higher rent.

Jurors who heard testimony that Thomas Tiberii spit and swore at the tenants and shut off their water at odd times delivered a verdict Wednesday for Diane Casey and Hunt Stehli that included $110,000 in punitive damages.

Leonard Gulino, the couple’s lawyer, said Tiberii suffered from “seller’s remorse” after he entered into a six-year lease for a third-floor loft that doubled as an apartment and photography studio in the Old Port.

After making improvements, the landlord felt the unit was worth more money and tried to get the couple to leave, Gulino said.

The lawsuit was started by the landlord in Cumberland County Superior Court and the couple brought a counterclaim against him.

Tiberii, who lives in the building, could not be reached for comment; his lawyer was out of town and did not return a message at her office.