Landlord Accused Of Discrimination Against Families With Children
Apparently, a landlord in South Carolina has not received the twenty (20) year old memo that housing discrimination against children is illegal. As a result the U.S. Justice Department took issue with said landlord’s 16-unit apartment complex in Summerville.
Mr. John Wingard Altman has been accused of violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against families with children.
The suit says advertisements on Yahoo! and on yellowpages.com describing the unfurnished apartments say "no pets, no children," and that a voicemail greeting for the complex specifies that tenants must be at least 21 years old.
Reached by phone Thursday, Altman denied the charges. However, the DOJ claims to have evidence showing otherwise.
"Housing discrimination against families with children has been illegal for more than 20 years, but it remains a persistent problem," said Thomas E. Perez, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "The Justice Department will continue its vigorous enforcement of fair housing laws that protect the rights of families with children."
