United States v. Rutherford Tenants Corp. (S.D.N.Y.)
On August 15, 2024, the court entered a consent decree in United States v. Rutherford Tenants Corp., et al. (S.D.N.Y.). The Fair Housing Act complaint, which was filed by the United States Attorney’s Office on December 6, 2021, alleges that a 175-unit cooperative apartment building in New York, New York and the president of its board of directors discriminated on the basis of disability by denying a tenant’s request for a reasonable accommodation for her assistance animals and by retaliating against her for having exercised rights protected by the Act. The consent order requires the defendants to pay the complainant $165,000 and to offer to buy her shares in the co-op for $585,000 (about $85,000 over market value). It also requires defendants to dismiss their pending eviction against the tenant with prejudice, adopt a new reasonable accommodations policy, and obtain fair housing training. The case was referred to the Division after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) received a complaint, conducted an investigation, and issued a charge of discrimination.
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