WASHINGTON
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it has reached a settlement with the owners and manager of three Edmonds, Washington, apartment buildings to resolve a lawsuit by paying $95,000, officials said.
The landlords agreed to rent their apartments to families with children. The landlords had refused to rent to these families in violation of the Fair Housing Act, according to officials.
“The Fair Housing Act prohibits apartment owners and managers from denying housing to families because they have children,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John M. Gore of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We will continue to vigorously enforce the Fair Housing Act’s prohibition of discrimination against families with children.”
“No family should be denied a place to live simply because they have a child,” said Anna Maria Farias, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “HUD will continue to work with the Justice Department to ensure that property owners comply with their obligations under the nation’s fair housing laws.”
The three apartment buildings that are the subject of the settlement are located at 201 5th Ave. N., 621 5th Ave. S., and 401 Pine Street in Edmonds, Washington.
They are owned and managed by defendants Debbie A. Appleby, Apple One, LLC, Apple Two, LLC, and Apple Three, LLC, of Stanwood, Washington. Under the settlement, the defendants will:
Pay a total monetary settlement of $95,000, comprised of:
$35,000 in damages to a family that they turned away because the family had a small child;
$35,000 that will be used to compensate other families that were harmed by defendants’ practices;
$25,000 as a civil penalty to the United States;
Adopt non-discriminatory policies and practices that ensure compliance with Fair Housing Act;
Submit to record keeping and monitoring requirements for the three-year period of the settlement agreement.
Today’s settlement resolves a complaint filed by the department in March 2017 which alleged that in March 2014 defendant Appleby told a woman seeking an apartment for herself, her husband and their one-year-old child that the apartment buildings were “adult only.”
The complaint also alleged that defendants advertised their apartments as being in “adult buildings.”
The family filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which conducted an investigation, issued a charge of discrimination against the defendants, and referred the case to the Justice Department.
Individuals who believe that they have been victims of housing discrimination may call the Justice Department at 1-800-896-7743, email the Justice Department at [email protected], or contact HUD at 1-800-669-9777 or through its website at www.hud.gov.