Evidence Collected By Fair Housing Testers Triggers DOJ Civil Rights Suit Accusing Michigan Landlord w/ Discriminating Against Families w/ Children

From the U.S. Department of Justice (Washington, D.C.):

• The Justice Department [] filed a lawsuit against the owners and manager of three Michigan apartment complexes – Parkside East Apartments, in East Lansing, Michigan, Holt Manor Apartments in Holt, Michigan, and Kelly Manor Apartments in Owosso, Michigan – for discriminating against families with children.
  
  The lawsuit, filed in the Eastern District of Michigan in Detroit, alleges that the defendants refused to allow children in Parkside East, which consists of 41 one-bedroom apartments, and also refused to allow children in the one bedroom apartments at Holt Manor and Kelly Manor. At Holt Manor, 23 of the 27 apartments are one-bedroom apartments. At Kelly Manor, 17 of the 25 apartments are one-bedroom apartments.
  
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  The allegations are based on evidence collected by the Fair Housing Center of Southeastern Michigan,(1) based in Ypsilanti, Michigan, which had testers posing as prospective residents contact the defendants’ offices and speak with Hopper about renting a one-bedroom apartment. The testing revealed that Hopper did not allow single parent households with a minor child to live in a one-bedroom apartment, but did allow households with two adults to rent such an apartment.

Source: Justice Department Sues Three Michigan Apartment Complexes for Discriminating Against Families with Children.

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(1) The Fair Housing Center of Southeast & Mid Michigan (previously the Fair Housing Center of Southeastern Michigan) is a private, non-profit Fair Housing Center that investigates complaints from the general public of illegal housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, familial status, marital status, age, (and potentially) condition of pregnancy, source of income, family responsibilities, educational association, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, HIV status, and political orientation. #fairhousingforall

The FHC takes an average of 150 complaints a year from the general public from our eight county area–Clinton, Eaton, Ingham, Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Monroe, and Washtenaw counties, and since 1992, has aided in the filing of over 75 lawsuits, with a settlement total of over $1,850,000.

It provides investigative services, testing, advice, advocacy, conciliation, attorney referral and community education.