Massachusetts AG Obtains Judgment Against Realtor In Housing Discrimination Case

March 05, 2008 -- BOSTON – Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Office obtained a judgment against Thomas Dooley, III, a Beacon Hill real estate broker and his company, Y2K Realty, Inc. dba Louisburg Properties, which resolves claims that he and his company violated state antidiscrimination laws by discriminating against a prospective tenant who had a housing subsidy. The judgment, entered late yesterday by Judge Bruce R. Henry in Suffolk Superior Court, requires Dooley and Louisburg Properties to pay $5,919 in damages, and permanently prohibits them from discriminating against any person who seeks or applies for housing or who becomes a tenant.

“Realtors, brokers and landlords in Massachusetts need to understand that discrimination against housing subsidy holders is illegal,” said Attorney General Coakley. “Equal and fair access to safe housing is critical and a right of all residents of the Commonwealth. We take the antidiscrimination laws very seriously and will vigorously enforce those laws when we believe there has been a violation.”

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The complaint, which was filed in Suffolk Superior Court in December 2006, alleges that Dooley and Louisburg Properties, Inc., rejected a prospective tenant who responded to an advertisement for a Beacon Hill apartment because he held a Section 8 housing assistance voucher. Under Massachusetts law, it is illegal to discriminate against housing applicants because they receive public assistance. Pursuant to the state antidiscrimination statute, the Attorney General is charged with responsibility for enforcing fair housing laws.

Today’s judgment also requires Dooley and all employees of Louisburg Properties responsible for rental or leasing of housing units to attend training on fair housing and antidiscrimination law. The training must be approved in advance by the Attorney General’s Office. Additionally, Louisburg Properties must clearly state in all advertisements for rental properties the language “Equal Housing Opportunity” and maintain records of rental applicants accepted and rejected for tenancy. Further, the Attorney General’s Office must be immediately notified in writing by the defendants in the event that they become the subject of any written complaint for discriminating against a prospective tenant.

This matter was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Anna-Marie Tabor and Zoë Stark of Attorney General Coakley’s Civil Rights Division.

Source: Massachusetts Attorney General