Delray condos to settle lawsuit

Article Courtesy of the Sun Sentinel


Published December 12, 2005

 

A condo association in Delray Beach has agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a federal housing discrimination lawsuit, according to The Fair Housing Center of the Greater Palm Beaches Inc., a plaintiff in the case.

The High Point of Delray Beach condo association and its president and vice president are accused of discriminating against Elois Thomas, a prospective buyer, because she is black, according to the lawsuit.

        
Thomas was trying to buy a condo in the development, but before the closing could take place, the association president, Charles Jordan, told the seller's Realtor that he would not have "any black people moving here," according to the federal lawsuit filed in November 2005. The suit claims that Jordan looked at the picture on Thomas' driver's license and said, "You're missing something."

When the Realtor asked what was missing, Jordan allegedly said, "She's black and I will not accept this application because we will not have any black people moving here."

According to the lawsuit, Jordan went on to tell the Realtor that "black people usually run day-care centers from their homes" and that he didn't want that to happen in his community.

Jordan prided himself that there were only six Jewish families in the neighborhood and they all moved in before his tenure as president, the suit claimed.

To mask the racial discrimination, Jordan was accused of telling the Realtor he would stall Thomas' interview process so she would become "discouraged enough to move on," according to the suit. After refusing to grant Thomas an interview with the board, she received a letter, 44 days after submitting her application for occupancy, saying she would not be approved, the complaint read.

Thomas, 69, later paid a higher price for another unit in a different section of High Point of Delray Beach, her attorney said. "I know that prejudice is still going on, but he shouldn't have been so obvious about it," Thomas said Monday.

Vince Larkins, president the Fair Housing Center of the Greater Palm Beaches Inc., said Monday that the group was "ecstatic" about the settlement, reached last month.

The defendants in the case could not be reached for comment.


Woman alleges racial discrimination at Delray Beach condo

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