Massachusetts

Apartment Owners Pay $70,000 to Settle Discrimination Claim

The claim was for discrimination against tenants of South Asian decent

The owners of a Massachusetts apartment complex have agreed to pay a $70,000 settlement with the U.S. Justice Department over claims they discriminated against tenants of "South Asian descent."

The department found J & R Associates steered those tenants into certain buildings at the Royal Park apartment complex in North Attleborough from at least 2009 through 2014.

The department says J & R Associates violated the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits housing discrimination on the basis of race and national origin. As part of the agreement, the federal government will not file a civil lawsuit against the owners.

The owners have agreed to train new employees and abide by federal housing law. According to the agreement, the settlement is a compromise and not an admission of "liability, wrongdoing or noncompliance."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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