Madam-turned-landlord ordered to reimburse her tenant $5,185

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has ordered the eccentric owner of a West Hollywood building where Jim Morrison is said to have lived to reimburse a former tenant $5,185.44.

Cheri Woods, the former ringleader of a 1970s-era escort service called Cheri’s Angels, agreed to pay restitution as part of a settlement with West Hollywood prosecutors who accused her of overcharging for rent at 8214 Norton Avenue.

The Spanish Colonial Revival-style building is rent-controlled, which means the amount that rent can be hiked in the five units is capped. Court documents state Woods overcharged one tenant for three months, from May to August of 2015. The city also charged Woods with harassing tenants in three units, but prosecutors agreed to drop those charges as part of the plea deal, WeHoville reports.

WeHoville also reports Woods has since evicted tenants from four of the five apartment units under California’s Ellis Act. The local news website says her daughter still lives in one of the units.

Woods bought the building in 2003, well after Morrison, who reportedly lived shortly before his death, from 1969 and 1971.

Over the years, Woods’ plans for the building have included turning it into a tourist attraction and a bed and breakfast. She tried to sell the property last summer. She has also sought landmark status for the building, but withdrew her application after city commissioners said she had stripped it of its “character-defining features” when she tried to sell tiles and a hodgepodge of other items on Craigslist.

• Landlord Cheri Woods Pleads No Contest to Overcharging Norton Avenue Tenant [WeHoville]
• Landmark status for Jim Morrison’s last U.S. residence is ruined [Curbed LA]
• Jim Morrison's Reported Last Apartment Up For Sale in WeHo [Curbed LA]
• Former Madame Wants to Turn Jim Morrison's Old WeHo Apartment Building Into a B&B [Curbed LA]