WWW.USDOJ.GOV

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Justice Department has reached an agreement with William H. Roddis, a Milwaukee landlord, who will settle claims that he violated the Fair Housing Act by unlawfully refusing to rent an apartment to an African-American applicant.

Mr. Roddis must pay $25,000 to the rejected applicant under the agreement filed today in U.S. District Court in Milwaukee. The agreement must still be approved by the court. The Justice Department filed suit in August 2000 against Mr. Roddis for violations of the Fair Housing Act at the Imperial Apartments, a building Roddis owns in Milwaukee. The government alleged that testing conducted by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council supported the claim that Roddis discriminated against the male applicant on the basis of race and sex.

"When landlords, large or small, treat tenants differently because of their race, they are violating the law," said William R. Yeomans, Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. "We will continue to work with private citizens and community groups to make fair housing a reality in every neighborhood."

Under the terms of the settlement, Mr. Roddis will adopt and publicize a nondiscrimination policy and follow uniform nondiscriminatory procedures in advertising and filling vacancies; obtain fair housing training for himself and his employees; retain a management company to manage Imperial Apartments; and submit periodic reports to the Justice Department to ensure compliance with the settlement.

Barbara B. Berman, the First Assistant United States Attorney for the United States Attorney's Office in Milwaukee, said, "This office is pleased with the terms of the settlement and recognizes the fine work that the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council has done in this and other cases under the Fair Housing Act in which this office has been involved."

After the Department of Housing and Urban Development investigated the complaint filed by the rejected applicant and charged Roddis with unlawful discrimination, HUD referred the case to the Justice Department for enforcement in federal court.

Individuals who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination in the Milwaukee area or elsewhere may contact the Department of Housing of Urban Development at

312-353-7776 (Midwest region) or 1-800-669-9777 (nationwide) or online at www.hud.gov. Individuals in the Milwaukee area may also contact the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council at 414-278-1240

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