Press Kit

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Andy Devney, a Wyoming native and former resident of Laramie, spent over a year and a half navigating a highly imbalanced landlord–tenant dispute that highlighted major gaps in Wyoming’s rental laws. The case involved questions of privacy, intimidation, unclear boundaries, and lease terms that would be unenforceable in many other states — yet were upheld under Wyoming’s minimal tenant protections.

This experience revealed a broader systemic issue: Wyoming renters, especially young adults and first-time tenants, often have no legal guardrails protecting them inside their homes. Andy’s project aims to raise awareness, publish public court records for transparency, and advocate for modernized tenant protections across the state.

• March 2024 – Incident between landlord and tenant
   
• Spring–Fall 2024 – Attempts to resolve, escalating intimidation, pressure, or unclear boundaries
   
• Late 2024 – Civil case filed
   
• 2024–2025 – Multiple hearings, discovery, legal filings
   
• October–November 2025 – Bench trial
   
• November 2025 – Final ruling and attorney fee award
   
• December 2025–January 2026 – Launch of public awareness and tenant education project
   

(Once we have the public record, we will replace these with exact dates and quotes.)

• Lack of statutory tenant privacy protections inside the dwelling
   
• No clear statewide rules for notice before entry
   
• Retaliation can be framed as “business decisions”
   
• Power imbalance between landlords and tenants
   
• Heavy reliance on lease language over statutory fairness
   
• University-aged renters left unprotected
   
• No meaningful remedies for intimidation
   

Wyoming is one of only a few states where tenant protection is almost entirely dependent on the wording of a lease. This disproportionately harms young renters, low-income renters, and anyone unfamiliar with legal or contractual language. Andy’s story is an example of how these gaps impact real people — emotionally, financially, and psychologically.

Wyoming has extremely limited case law for tenant privacy, emotional distress, and abuse of authority claims. In these situations, standard judicial practice — used nationwide — requires judges to look to persuasive case law from other states, especially within the same federal district, to interpret vague or untested statutes.

My attorney followed this process properly, citing well-established cases from states within the 10th Circuit that clarify how courts should protect vulnerable individuals who face power imbalances against corporate or insured defendants. These cases also emphasize that attorney-fee awards should be kept minimal so victims are not financially destroyed for seeking justice — a core principle meant to prevent the legal system from unintentionally favoring wealthier parties.

The judge responded by stating she “was not familiar with the cases” and that “none were from Wyoming,” effectively declining to consider them.

Wyoming’s sparse case law makes out-of-state precedent essential, not optional. Refusing to consider persuasive authorities leaves victims in legal limbo and gives disproportionate advantage to parties with resources, lawyers, and insurance backing. It also allows individual judges to avoid applying widely accepted legal standards simply because Wyoming hasn’t yet developed them — a loophole that punishes those most in need of protection.

This approach discourages victims from coming forward, reinforces power imbalances, and allows abusive practices to continue unchecked. My case highlights how Wyoming’s failure to adopt or consider established legal doctrine from its own federal district leaves citizens effectively unprotected.

• Full website: https://wyomingaccountibility.org
   
• GoFundMe:  https://gofund.me/2e9d734c2
   

“I thought what happened to me couldn’t be legal — until I learned that Wyoming’s laws simply don’t protect tenants the way other states do. I’m sharing my experience so no one else has to go through what I did just to feel safe in their own home.”

 “Permission to enter is not a blank check. No renter should ever fear that a routine maintenance request can be twisted into permission to enter their home while they’re vulnerable or unaware. Privacy isn’t optional — it’s a basic human expectation.” 

protectwytenants@protonmail.com