WASHINGTON — The Justice Department today announced an agreement with the former owners and manager of Bonanza Springs Apartments in Las Vegas, Nev., to settle allegations of discrimination on the basis of race, disability and familial status. Under the settlement, which must be approved by the U.S. District Court in Las Vegas, the defendants must pay $285,000 to identified victims of discrimination and $165,000 to the government as a civil penalty. “All Americans have the right to seek fair housing in their communities, a longstanding guarantee of federal law,” said Wan J. Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “Today‘s settlement demonstrates the Justice Department‘s strong commitment to enforcing these fundamental protections.” The government‘s complaint alleges that Bonanza Springs LLC, Temple Development Corporation, Temple 1991 Revocable Trust, Temple Investment Trust, and their managing agent, “RJ” A. Barry, violated the Fair Housing Act when they discriminated against African Americans, people with disabilities, and families with children. Among other things, the defendants assigned black residents to less desirable units in the complex, refused to move a wheelchair-bound resident to an available first-floor unit, and enforced a written policy prohibiting children from residing in the complex. The defendants no longer own or manage residential rental properties. Fighting illegal housing discrimination is a top priority of the Justice Department. In February, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales announced Operation Home Sweet Home, a concentrated initiative to expose and eliminate housing discrimination in America. This initiative was inspired by the plight of displaced victims of Hurricane Katrina who were suddenly forced to find new places to live. Operation Home Sweet Home, however, is not limited to the areas hit by Hurricane Katrina, but targets housing discrimination across the country. More information about Operation Home Sweet Home is available at the Justice Department Web site at http://www.usdoj.gov/fairhousing. Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of housing discrimination can call our Housing Discrimination Tip Line (1-800-896-7743), email us at fairhousing@usdoj.gov, or contact the Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin and disability. Since Jan. 1, 2001, the Justice Department‘s Civil Rights Division has filed 218 cases to enforce the Fair Housing Act. For more information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces, go to http://www.usdoj.gov/crt.
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