May 13, 2015 | Categories: Familial Status, Rental
The Fair Housing Center of Southeastern Michigan (FHC) initiated a housing discrimination lawsuit against several multi-family apartment properties in Michigan owned, operated, and/or managed by Sudi Hopper. Testing showed evidence of discrimination against families with children. The properties include Parkside Apartments in East Lansing, Holt Manor Apartments in Holt, and Kelly Manor Apartments in Owosso.
According to the lawsuit, testers posing as a single parent with a young child were told that children were not allowed to live in one-bedroom apartments. By comparison, “Testers without children who inquired about the availability of one-bedroom units for themselves and a spouse were asked to confirm that they did not have children, told that apartments were available, provided additional information about the units, and invited to view the apartments.”
The Fair Housing Center Board of Directors voted to bring the lawsuit as allowed under the Supreme Court decision Havens v Coleman. The Fair Housing Center asked the U.S. Department of Justice to look into the allegations of discrimination at the properties, as well.
Fair Housing Center Cooperating Attorneys Jia Cobb and Stephen M. Dane of Relman, Dane & Colfax, along with local counsel Thomas Daniels and Matthew Daniels of Pear, Sperling, Eggan & Daniels, filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Fair Housing Center. The case, filed in U.S. Federal District Court on May 7, 2015, was assigned to the Honorable Sean F. Cox.