Massachusetts AG: Landlord's Craigslist Ads Discriminating Against Families w/ Young Kids Due To Lead Contamination In Apartments Violates Law

From the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General:

• A Melrose-based realty trust and its manager violated Massachusetts law by allegedly posting a discriminatory rental advertisement on the popular classified advertising website Craigslist.org (“Craigslist”), according to a lawsuit filed by AG Coakley’s Office. The complaint, filed in Suffolk Superior Court against Mt. V.M. Realty Trust (“Mt. V.M.”) and Nicholas Keramaris, alleges that they violated state anti-discrimination, lead paint, and consumer protection laws by placing an advertisement on Craigslist which referred to the lead status of an apartment and refused to rent it to families with young children.

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• According to the complaint, Keramaris, on behalf of Mt. V.M., posted an advertisement on Craigslist in June 2010 that discriminated against families with young children. The advertisement, for an apartment building in Melrose that Keramaris managed, stated that the unit could not be rented to families with children under six years old as it was not deleaded. Under Massachusetts law, it is illegal to refuse to rent or steer families away from rental properties because they have young children whose presence triggers an owner’s duty to eliminate lead hazards that pose serious health risks.

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• Since taking office in January 2007, Attorney General Coakley’s office has obtained judgments in 91 housing discrimination cases brought against landlords, property managers, and/or real estate companies.

For the Massachusetts AG press release, see AG Coakley Sues Melrose Realty Trust And Manager For Posting Discriminatory Housing Ad On Craigslist.