CALIFORNIA – The owners and operators of Woodland Garden Apartments in Fremont, California, agreed to settle allegations of discrimination against families with children and pay a hefty fine.
Under the consent order, which must still be approved by the U.S. District Court, the defendants will pay $77,500 to the victims of their discrimination and an additional $2,500 to the government as a civil penalty.
The settlement resolves a complaint filed by the department on Oct. 25, 2013.
“Federal law guarantees families with children the right to equal access to housing, including full access to their homes’ amenities and facilities,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels for the Civil Rights Division. “Settlements such as this one help ensure that all families can enjoy that right.”
The lawsuit alleged that the apartment complex maintained rules that discriminated against families with children in violation of the Fair Housing Act.
Specifically, the lawsuit challenged a rule that prohibited children from playing outside in the common grassy areas of the complex and provided that families would be evicted if they violated this rule. The lawsuit also alleged that the actions of the defendants constituted a pattern or practice of discrimination.
The lawsuit arose as a result of complaints filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or HUD by five families who lived at Woodland Garden Apartments and by Project Sentinel, a fair housing organization operating in Northern California.