FORT VALLEY, Ga. — A family who said their apartment complex would not move them to a ground floor unit to accommodate her terminally ill child was awarded a $750,000 settlement.
U.S. Attorney Will Keyes, Middle District of Georgia, said the refusal to move them when ground floor apartments were available was “a clear violation of both law and decency.”
“Rental property owners and their employees must know and follow the Fair Housing Act, as denying reasonable accommodations is illegal, and our office will not hesitate to pursue those who break the law,” Keyes said.
The child was diagnosed with a genetic disorder that causes permanent mobility impairment, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
The family’s lawsuit said the mother made repeated requests to move over 14 months.
The complaint said the defendants’ actions made it impossible for the mother to carry her son in and out of the apartment without help from her older children, leading to profound physical, psychological, and emotional losses for her son and lost academic and social opportunities for her older children.
This agreement marks the second largest settlement ever secured by the department in an individual housing discrimination case. The defendants identified in the matter were Indian Oaks Apartments LTD, Russell Management Services LLC, H.J. Russell & Company, and The Russell Realty LP.
“The defendants should have moved this family with a terminally ill child to a ground-floor unit without delay,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Americans with disabilities have the right to equal access to housing in the United States, and this Justice Department will continue to ensure the protection of this right.”
As part of the settlement, the defendants are required to comply with specific policy and training provisions. They must also report to the Justice Department on all reasonable accommodation requests at any properties they own or operate.
Anyone experiencing housing discrimination can submit a report online or call the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743.
You may also file a report with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by submitting a complaint online or calling 1-800-669-9777.
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