Tashie Hawkins settled her housing discrimination suit against Maplewood Apartments in March of 1994. The amount of the settlement is undisclosed, but includes funds for a down payment available for Hawkins to purchase a home.
Hawkins contacted the FHC in April of 1993. In her complaint Hawkins said she tried to rent a two bedroom apartment at Maplewood Apartments in Ypsilanti Township for herself, her three-year-old daughter and her infant son. Hawkins reported being told she was ineligible for a two bedroom unit because she had a son and a daughter.
According the lawsuit filed by Cooperating Attorney Michael J. Steinberg, Hawkins was denied the opportunity to fill out or submit an application for a two bedroom apartment because Maplewood had policies that prohibited a brother and sister from sharing a bedroom and that barred a child from sharing a bedroom with a parent. Testing conducted by the Fair Housing Center provided evidence that Maplewood Apartments maintained these policies. The case was assigned to Judge Donald E. Shelton. Through the Washtenaw County Bar Association Pro-Bono Program, Michael Steinberg was aided by Attorneys Steve Gray of Legal Services of Southeastern Michigan and Michael O. Love of Dykema Gossett.