United States v. Meyer (E.D. Mo.)

On December 28, 2021, the court entered a consent order in United States v. Meyer (E.D. Mo.), a Fair Housing Act election case. The complaint, filed on January 7, 2021, alleged that Defendants discriminated on the basis of disability in violation of the Fair Housing Act when they denied the complainants’ reasonable accommodation request for permission to keep an assistance animal and ordered a mother and her son, both of whom have disabilities, to vacate their apartment because they had an emotional support animal. Defendants – the property manager and management company that formerly managed the subject property, and the Trust that formerly owned the subject property, along with its Trustee -- are Thomas M. Meyer, Thos L. Meyer Realty Co., the William T. Joiner Revocable Trust; and Richard G. Steele, Trustee.  The consent order requires the defendants to pay complainants $18,000 in monetary damages.  This case was referred to the Division after the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) received a complaint, conducted an investigation, and issued a charge of discrimination.