Discrimination Charges Against Apartment Complex Owner
U.S. Department of Justice Files Suit in South Dakota
Last month, as a result of complaints filed with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the US Justice Department filed a lawsuit against a South Dakota property owner. The charges against T.K. Properties, L.L.C., are for violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against three families on the basis of race.
According to the lawsuit, filed in US District Court of South Dakota, the company created a hostile housing environment for the tenants, one African-American family and two white families, at an apartment complex in Sioux Falls.
HUD investigated the tenants’ complaints and found reasonable cause that discrimination had occurred. The matter was turned over to the Justice Dept. The resulting lawsuit seeks to prohibit future discrimination as well as monetary damages for all those harmed the defendants’ actions, and a civil penalty against T.K. Properties.
According to the lawsuit, certain of the apartment complex’s managers used inappropriate language and harassed the tenants, and even asked other tenants to file false police reports against them to back up eviction attempts. The tenants refused, so a manager filed the false report. The tenants reported the discrimination to the complex’s owners, who did nothing to curtail the activities of the managers. After the managers made additional voice mail threats, the police were called, and ultimately, the three tenants went to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and filed formal complaints.
The Fair Housing Act is to be taken seriously. Landlords and property managers must educate themselves about this federal law, know what is considered discrimination, and take care to treat all tenants and applicants equally.