County Human Rights Board Sides With Fort Lauderdale Woman In Housing Discrimination Complaint In Mezuzah Dispute

In Broward County, Florida, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports:

• Broward County's human rights board on Wednesday backed a Jewish woman against the condo association that ordered her to remove a mezuzah from her door last year. A three-member panel of the Broward County Human Rights Board unanimously found reasonable cause to believe the board at the Port Condominium discriminated against lawyer Laurie Richter, 29, when members ordered her to remove the 5-inch mezuzah she had temporarily attached to her doorpost. A mezuzah is a small case containing a religious message that many Jews place on their door frames.

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• The next step in Richter's battle is expected to be mediation between her and the association that operates the 16-story, 129-unit building. If that doesn't work, Richter's attorney, Randall C. Berg Jr., said he will file a lawsuit for an unspecified amount of damages against the association. Damages could include her attorney's fees, emotional distress, pain and suffering.

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• Meanwhile, the state Senate, in a 40-0 vote at 11:13 a.m. Thursday, passed the bill that says a condo association "may not refuse the request of a unit owner" to attach a small "religious object" on the frame of a door. The measure, which now goes to Gov. Crist for approval or rejection, was approved by the House on April 18 in a 110-0 vote.

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• State Attorney General Bill McCollum and Miami-based U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta got involved and on March 26 the board agreed to let Richter keep the mezuzah.

For more, see Broward panel: Jewish woman had right to hang mezuzah on condo door.