WWW.USDOJ.GOV

TDD (202) 514-1888

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SUES LAS VEGAS HOME BUILDER

FOR HOUSING DISCRIMINATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Justice Department today sued a Las Vegas builder, an Arizona architect and a Texas corporation for not providing accessible housing for persons with disabilities.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas, alleges that Camden Property Trust (Camden), a Texas Real Estate Investment Trust; Camden Subsidiary II, Inc., a Texas corporation, which is an operating arm of Camden; George Tibsherany, a Scottsdale, Arizona, architect; Robert V. Jones, Inc., a Las Vegas builder; and, Becker Built, a Las Vegas property development partnership, violated the federal Fair Housing Act by engaging in a "pattern or practice" of discrimination based on disability.

"Congress amended the Fair Housing Act ten years ago to mandate accessible housing for persons with disabilities. Unfortunately, this kind of discrimination against people with disabilities is all too common," said Bill Lann Lee, Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. "We will continue to bring cases of this kind in order to assure that persons with disabilities are guaranteed equal access to multifamily homes."

The lawsuit alleges that the defendants violated the Fair Housing Act by failing to design and construct dwellings so they are accessible to individuals with disabilities. Under the law, multifamily dwellings must meet certain accessibility requirements if they were designed for first occupancy after March 13, 1991, and are within a building served by an elevator, or if they are ground floor units in a non-elevator building. Only dwellings in buildings with four or more units are covered by the Act.

Under the Fair Housing Act, discrimination includes the failure to design and construct multifamily dwellings where public areas are readily accessible to people with disabilities, the doors are wide enough to permit passage by persons in wheelchairs, and the inside premises contain an accessible route, reachable fixtures, and useable kitchens and bathrooms. The defendants failed to provide these features in their buildings.

The Las Vegas multifamily dwellings cited in the complaint include: Oasis Canyon, formerly known as Calico Canyon, located at 8450 W. Charleston Drive; Oasis Del Mar, formerly known as Blackhorse, located at 9225 West Charleston Boulevard; Oasis Pines located at 5155 South Torrey Pines Drive; Rock Creek Manor located at 1616-1618 North Jones Boulevard; Oasis Reef, formerly known as Lighthouse Cove, located at 6500 West Lake Meade Boulevard; Oasis Rose, formerly known as Desert Rose, located at 5024 Broken Sound Drive; Oasis Vinings II located at 6100 Carmen Boulevard; Oasis Vintage, formerly known as Birdrock, located at 6500 Vegas Drive; and Oasis Hills, formerly known as Shadow Hills, located at 2121 North Jones Boulevard. All the properties are rental apartment properties except Rock Creek Manor, which is a condominium.

In 1998, Camden merged with the Nevada corporation Oasis Residential, Inc.(ORI), which, in conjunction with the other defendants, owned, designed or built the named projects, except Rock Creek Manor. Defendant Becker Built was the developer of only Oasis Hills, which was subsequently owned and operated by ORI and then Camden.

Before its merger with Camden early last year, Oasis described itself as the "largest active developer and owner of predominantly upscale apartment communities in Las Vegas based on the number of apartment units developed and owned." Camden, at the time of the merger, owned and operated rental properties containing more than 30,000 units in Texas, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, Arizona and Kentucky.

In its complaint, the Justice Department asks the court to order the defendants to make their properties accessible and to compensate any victims of their alleged discriminatory conduct. The complaint also seeks punitive damages for these victims as well as a civil penalty.

###

99-042