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- Latest news item posted on 11/26/2008 at 09:44 AM
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Group’s dispute with city continues
(WINCHESTER, Va., Nov. 26, 2008)
-- Oxford House Inc. has countered the city government’s request to dismiss the nonprofit group’s claims of housing discrimination.
In September, the Maryland-based organization sued Winchester, claiming that the city’s Zoning Ordinance runs afoul of the federal Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disability Act, both of which protect people with handicaps from housing discrimination.
Oxford House Inc. facilitates seven sober-living houses in the city. Men and women recovering from drug addiction and alcoholism live in the houses, which are self-run with no staff members on site.
This year, the city government criminally charged owners of three of the houses with zoning violations. Too many people lived in the dwellings, according to regulations in the Zoning Ordinance.
FULL STORY in The Winchester Star
State agency seeks role of feds in fighting bias
(CARSON CITY, Nev., Nov. 25, 2008)
-- For the second time since 2005, the state agency that deals with discrimination on the job is asking Nevada’s Legislature for the legal power to confront discrimination in housing.
The Nevada Equal Rights Commission has submitted a bill draft for the January legislative session that would make state law on the matter equivalent to its federal counterpart. If it’s approved, Nevada would finally join the ranks of 37 states and the District of Columbia in having an on-the-ground agency authorized to go to court and levy fines against landlords found guilty of discrimination.
Dennis Perea, administrator of the commission, said the bill is especially timely because discrimination in general tends to increase in times of scarcity. He noted that his agency has seen employment complaints, for example, rise 14 percent in the past year.
“If you want to see whether someone has a bias, wait until times are tough,” he said.
FULL STORY in The Las Vegas Sun
HUD issues sexual harassment guidance
(WASHINGTON, Nov. 24, 2008)
-- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today issued guidance under the Fair Housing Act clarifying what constitutes sexual harassment and the legal remedies available to victims of sexual harassment in housing. HUD's guidance makes clear that as long as an individual demonstrates that the harassment was unwelcome, he or she may file a claim regardless of whether they experienced the loss of a housing opportunity or tangible economic loss.
HUD's guidance also explains that property owners and property managers have a duty to prevent or stop sexual harassment committed by employees, agents, or contractors and that they may be liable for acts committed by such persons. For example, if an apartment manager authorizes a maintenance worker to enter a tenant's home to make a repair, and the maintenance worker sexually harasses the tenant, the management company may be held vicariously liable for the maintenance worker's actions.
"Individuals have the right to housing without being subjected to sexual harassment," said Kim Kendrick, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. "This guidance lets individuals know that they do not have to tolerate sexual harassment in housing and advises landlords of the consequences of failing to abide by the law."
Proceeds from Hornsby piano to benefit NFHA
(LONG ISLAND, N.Y., Nov. 24, 2008)
-- Steinway & Sons, widely recognized as manufacturer of the finest pianos in the world, announced today the introduction of its new Limited Edition Signature Series, featuring Steinway Artist and three-time Grammy winner Bruce Hornsby. Mr. Hornsby visited the renowned Steinway factory in Long Island City, NY on November 10 to select pianos to be offered as part of the first Celebrity Signature Series.
"No two handmade Steinway pianos are the same -- each instrument has a slightly different feel, touch, sound and personality," said Todd Sanders, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Steinway & Sons.
Each of the Steinway Model B grands selected based upon touch and tone by Mr. Hornsby, has been personalized with the artist's signature. Also included with each piano will be a Certificate of Authenticity, an autographed photo, and a signed deluxe boxed set of CDs and a DVD. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each piano in this limited series will be donated to the National Fair Housing Alliance, one of Mr. Hornsby's favorite charities. The N.F.H.A. works to eliminate housing discrimination and to ensure equal housing opportunity for all people.
FULL PRESS RELEASE by Steinway
Housing project going forward
(TULSA, Okla., Nov. 24, 2008)
-- It's a project that's been mired in controversy. Tonight the battle over a proposed low-income apartment complex may be over, at least for now.
The complex is set to go up near I-244 and Yale. Neighbors are concerned about the homeless moving in. Tonight FOX 23's Douglas Clark has an update on an issue in which it's been hard for people to find any middle-ground.
FULL STORY by Fox-23
SMOC depositions to begin soon
(FRAMINGHAM, Mass., Nov. 24, 2008)
-- After more than a year of preliminaries, lawyers are preparing for depositions in the lawsuit pitting town officials against the South Middlesex Opportunity Council, according to a source familiar with the case.
While presently enmeshed in the discovery portion of the judicial proceedings, attorneys for both sides could file a motion for summary judgment as early as mid-January, according to the source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
In fall 2007, SMOC filed suit in federal court claiming the town had blocked expansion of its social services. The crux of SMOC's case alleges the town discriminated against the disabled.
Specifically, an attempt to open Larry's Place, a veterans shelter, and plans to move the Sage House Program, a residential drug treatment program, were delayed because of a network of various town officials.
FULL STORY in The Framingham Tab
Couple seeks $20 million in racial discrimination suit
(MARTINSBURG, W.V., Nov. 24, 2008)
-- A Martinsburg man and woman are hoping to receive more than $20 million after filing a racial discrimination lawsuit.
Larry Andre McKinney-Bey and Dorice Sisco claim their landlord, rental agent and Potomac Housing Realtors refused to pay them their security deposit after the couple moved out of the home they were renting due to racial discrimination.
They originally filed suit in Berkeley Circuit Court on Oct. 3 after they say agent Michelle Sandri and homeowner Suzanne Potter "conspired unlawfully to withhold monies paid to them as deposit ($1,075) dollars."
They say Sandri and Potter began to treat McKinney-Bey and Sisco differently after they discovered the couple was Asiatic-black.
"Immediately the Rental Office and the Owner, immediately started refused to comply with any request that the petitioner presented and/or any repairs except what was absolutely necessary," the suit states.
FULL STORY in The West Virginia Record
DOJ strikes at landlord bias against children
(LAS VEGAS, Nov. 24, 2008)
-- The federal government recently settled a complaint against the owners of Las Vegas apartments who allegedly discriminated against families, the third such case in the valley in two years.
The repeated cases involving hundreds of apartments mean “there definitely is discrimination against families with children” in the Las Vegas Valley, said Chuck Hauptman, a representative of the Housing and Urban Development Department’s San Francisco office of fair housing and equal opportunity.
He said the agency wants valley landlords to be on notice that this is illegal, a message that’s especially crucial when families with children are among the many seeking rental housing in the wake of the valley’s foreclosure crisis.
In the most recent case, which was settled in October, HUD, rather than the victim, had filed the complaint, indicating the alleged discrimination was flagrant and easy to prove.
FULL STORY in The Las Vegas Sun
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