Landlord To Cough Up $134K To Settle Allegations Of Refusing Rental To Woman w/ "Too Many Children," Charging Other Tenants Extra Fees For Having Kids

From the U.S. Department of Justice:

• The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) [...] jointly announced an agreement with the owners and managers of Pina’s Mobile Home Park in Daphne, Ala., to settle allegations of discrimination against families with children. Under the consent decree, [...] the defendants must pay up to $104,130 to victims of discrimination and an additional $30,000 to the government as a civil penalty.

• The lawsuit [...] originated from a charge filed by HUD on behalf of a woman who tried to rent at Pina’s Mobile Home Park, but was told she had too many children (three) to live in the park. Numerous other tenants were charged extra monthly fees for having children in their mobile homes. The complaint alleges that Arthur C. Witherington and Pina D. Witherington violated the Fair Housing Act when they discriminated against applicants and tenants with children under 18.(1)

For the entire press release, see Justice Department Obtains $134,000 in Discrimination Settlement with Mobile Home Park in Daphne, Alabama.

(1) "Limiting how many children a tenant can have and charging extra fees for children are discriminatory, and families are protected from this kind of discrimination by the Fair Housing Act," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Loretta King of the Civil Rights Division. "People do not lose their rights to fair housing because they have children," said John Trasviña, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. "HUD and the Department of Justice will defend their rights vigorously."