Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Florida HOA and Property Management Company for Illegal Occupancy Limits against Families with Children

The Justice Department announced yesterday that the Townhomes of Kings Lake HOA Inc. (HOA) and Vanguard Management Group Inc. have agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging violations of the Fair Housing Act (FHA).  The lawsuit alleged that the HOA adopted and both defendants enforced occupancy limits that discriminated against families with children at the Townhomes of Kings Lake, a 249-townhome community in Gibsonton, Fla.

Under the proposed consent decree, which must still be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the defendants will pay $45,000 to the family that initiated the original complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), $85,000 into a victim fund to compensate other aggrieved families, and $20,000 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.  In January 2013, while the lawsuit was pending, the HOA modified its occupancy limits to permit four occupants in 2-bedroom townhomes, six occupants in 3-bedroom townhomes, and eight occupants in 4-bedroom townhomes.

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Cincinnati landlord to pay $855,000 for sexual harassment complaints

A Cincinnati landlord agreed to an $855,000 civil judgment against him, after admitting he violated the Fair Housing Act as alleged in a federal complaint filed by the Justice Department.

New Report Uncovers Housing Discrimination Against the Latino Community

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Every year, there are more than four million incidents of housing discrimination that occur in the United States. Yet these incidents are tremendously underreported, particularly within the Latino community. A new NCLR and Equal Rights Center (ERC) report, “Puertas Cerradas: Housing Barriers for Hispanics,” takes a closer look at the housing experience of Hispanics in three Southern cities: Birmingham, Alabama; Atlanta, Georgia; and San Antonio, Texas. Although the federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination based on national origin, our investigation reveals that Latinos continue to face adverse or differential treatment when trying to buy or rent a home.

Ohio Fair Housing group gets new trial in discrimination suit over ‘bachelor pad’ apartment ad

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CINCINNATI — Fair housing advocates on Monday won a new trial in a federal lawsuit against an Ohio company that advertised an apartment as “a great bachelor pad” for men looking to “hook up.”

A three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a second trial to the nonprofit Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, saying the judge at the first trial erred in giving incorrect and prejudicial jury instructions. 

US SUES FLA OVER DISABLED KIDS IN NURSING HOMES

MIAMI– The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Florida on Monday, accusing the state of unnecessarily institutionalizing about 200 disabled children in nursing homes and cutting services that would allow them to receive care at home.

Federal investigators visited six nursing homes around the state and identified about 200 children who didn’t need to be there and could benefit from care at home or elsewhere in the community. They found that once in the facilities, many children stay for years, some growing up in the nursing homes.

The investigation found cold, hospital-like facilities where children share common areas with elderly patients and rarely leave or go outside. Investigators noted that the children are not exposed to social, educational or recreational activities critical to development. They also said educational opportunities are limited to as little as 45 minutes a day and that many of the children’s families live hundreds of miles away, according to the lawsuit.

Parents say they have no other option because the state has slashed in-homes services, including nursing care for critically ill children on ventilators and feeding tubes.

Investigators also said Florida is violating the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and infringing on the children’s civil rights by segregating and isolating them. The average length of stay is three years, federal officials said. Many of the children are physically disabled but mentally cognizant.

For the full story story go to:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/ap/ap/kids-family/feds-sue-fla-for-keeping-kids-in-nursing-homes/nYy43/