AG sues Saugus realtor for discrimination

SAUGUS – A local realtor has come under fire from Attorney General Martha Coakley, who is charging the company with housing discrimination.Eastern Property Management Group, a Walnut Street real estate company, is being sued for allegedly posting discriminatory rental advertisements on Craigslist, a popular classified advertising Web site.The charge stems from a complaint that Eastern Property posted four advertisements on Craigslist during January and February that discriminated against families with young children and against recipients of public assistance.The advertisements, all for the same apartment in Chelsea, stated, “the apartment may have lead paint so if you have young children under 6 years old or are on Section 8 this will not work for you.” In addition, the complaint alleges that when an investigator from the AG’s office contacted Eastern Property and posed as a father with a young child, he was steered away from renting the advertised property and told that he would have to sign a release form before he could rent the property.Coakley is seeking an order prohibiting Eastern Property from engaging in housing discrimination, requiring fair housing training for its employees, compensatory and punitive damages, civil penalties and attorney’s fees and costs. This latest filing stems from the Attorney General’s ongoing statewide investigation into reports of widespread discriminatory Internet advertising in housing.”Hiding under the anonymity of the Internet is no longer an option for landlords, property managers or real estate brokers that are trying to thwart housing discrimination laws in Massachusetts,” Coakley said. “Enforcing housing discrimination laws is a priority for this office and real estate professionals will be held accountable when they break the law and discriminate against vulnerable citizens in our community.”On Oct. 28, 2009, the Attorney General’s Office reached 20 settlements and filed six complaints against landlords and real estate agents across the Commonwealth accused of violating state anti-discrimination laws on Craigslist. It is a fight Coakley has pledged to continue.Under federal and state fair housing laws, it is illegal to discriminate against an individual or a family seeking housing because of a person’s race, color, religion, sex, familial status, if they have children or regardless of who they are married to as well as national origin, handicap/disability or because the person is a recipient of public assistance. Under the Massachusetts lead paint law, it is illegal to refuse to rent to a prospective tenant with young children due to the possible presence of lead paint in the rental unit. These laws also prohibit discrimination in advertising.