Sunday, June 19, 2016

Nevada Couple To Cough Up $36K To Resolve Fair Housing Charges That They Indicated A Preference For Adult Tenants For Their Rental Properties, & Refused To Rent Single Family Home To Tenant w/ Kids; Family Who Was Allegedly Told By Landlord To Take A Hike To Pocket $12K In Damages

The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced:
  • The Justice Department announced [] that Carson City, Nevada, rental property owners Betty Brinson and Hughston Brinson have agreed to pay $36,000 to resolve allegations that they discriminated against families with children in violation of the Fair Housing Act (FHA).

    The lawsuit alleged that the Brinsons discriminated against families with children by placing a series of advertisements for a single-family rental home in the local newspaper that indicated a preference for adult tenants and refusing to rent the home to a family with three children because they did not want children living at the property.

    The complaint also alleged that Betty Brinson placed discriminatory advertisements for another property she owns – a 36-unit apartment complex in Carson City – that indicated a preference for adult tenants. The lawsuit arose as a result of a complaint filed with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by the family, who alleged that they were refused the opportunity to rent the single-family home.

    Under the proposed consent order, which still must be approved by the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, the defendants will pay $14,000 to the HUD complainants, $10,000 into a victim fund to compensate other aggrieved families and $12,000 to the United States as a civil penalty. In addition, the proposed consent decree prohibits the defendants from discriminating in the future against families with children and requires the defendants to receive training on the requirements of the FHA and provide periodic reports to the department.

posted by Home Equity Theft Reporter at 4:04 AM