Sunday, March 19, 2017

Condo Developer To Cough Up $60K To Settle NAACP Fair Housing Lawsuit Alleging That All Prospective Buyers Were Discriminated Against Unless They Were Ultra-Orthodox Jews

In Spring Valley, New York, The Journal News reports:
  • The NAACP and Park View Condominiums have reached a financial settlement on the civil rights organization's allegations that only religious Jews were offered housing in the complex on Main Street and Maple Avenue.

    The NAACP filed a complaint in 2013 with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development alleging that Route 45 LLC discriminated against potential buyers who were not ultra-Orthodox Jews based on their race, religion and national origin.

    The agreement, reached through HUD under the Fair Housing Act, mandates the townhouse complex pay the NAACP branch $60,000, with $35,000 going into escrow for people denied access to the housing based on discrimination, according to the agreement. At least two people will get $3,000 and $12,000 respectively.

    "All applicants who did not belong to that group were told all units were sold out while several units remained available for purchase," Wilbur Aldridge, regional director of the Mid-Hudson/Westchester NAACP, and Spring Valley NAACP President Willie Trotman said in a joint statement.

    "In several instances," they said. "Employees refused to return calls to applicants of color and of other religious groups, failed to market the property to the general public and violated county building code by including religious spaces for a single group to accommodate specific religious practices."

    Aldridge said HUD also agreed to increase its monitoring.