Our court docket lists plaintiff and defendant for all the fed hearings.

You will learn a lot and hopefully never return as a plaintiff nor defendant.

Not the best analogy, but hopefully you get the idea...Again, I'm not defending said tennant.  

The defendant has not paid the rent.

You could still be some what selective but it would be difficult to defend in court to allow one tenant to have a pet and deny another.

Since it is one word against another, if you go this route, you should be prepared to defend the action in court if it gets to that.

In my experience here, many Judges will ask the defendant if he owes the money and if they say yes the gavel will fall and the next case will be called. 

I know a landlord who rents high-end, fully-furnished units (in retrofitted old historic buildings) near the legislature to government ministers at rates 2-3 times what a standard apartment in the area would fetch.   

Sometimes tenants lie when they hear about a changeover and said they made payments when they didn't etc.It's easy for them to throw the person that is gone under the bus because they are no longer there to defend themselves.Not saying that is the case here at all but tenants try to manipulate anytime they see an opening. 

I reject anyone I do not want for any reason I choose and am always able to defend my decision but surprisingly have never had to.