Woodland Garden Apartments, Housing Discrimination, California 2013

California landlord, Woodland Garden Apartments, has agreed to pay $77,500 to families with children it discriminated against and an additional $2,500 to the government as a civil penalty, bringing the total settlement to $80,000.

The Justice Department announced the agreement on an unspecified date, which must still be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

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 (HUD) by five families who lived at Woodland Garden Apartments and by Project Sentinel, a fair housing organization operating in Northern California.

“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.”

Fighting illegal housing discrimination is a top priority of the department. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin and disability.

Defendant: Woodland Garden Apartments, Crime: Housing Discrimination, State: California, Year: 2013, Sentence: $77,500 to families and $2,500 to the government.

The consent order requires defendants to implement a nondiscrimination policy, establish new enforcement procedures for rule violations and undergo training on the Fair Housing Act.

More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at the division’s website. Persons who believe they have experienced or witnessed unlawful housing discrimination may call the Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743, e-mail the Justice Department at fairhousing@usdoj.gov, or contact HUD at 1-800-669-9777.

Families who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination can contact the Housing Discrimination Tip Line for assistance.

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