Housing discrimination settlement amount?

[Mathiasian]

I live in Nevada. I filed a complaint with the state Attorney Generals office relating to discrimination on the basis of familial status. To make a long story short, I was told no children would be allowed outside without adult supervision.

The attorney for the aptartment wants to settle the case out of court, and I'm not sure exactly what I should ask for. I've seen settlements range from $20,000 to $75,000. I don't want to go in asking for too much or too little. I don't want to give too much info regarding the specifics because I don't want the other side to find this. Can someone please help me?

 

[LdiJ]

I live in Nevada. I filed a complaint with the state Attorney Generals office relating to discrimination on the basis of familial status. To make a long story short, I was told no children would be allowed outside without adult supervision.

The attorney for the aptartment wants to settle the case out of court, and I'm not sure exactly what I should ask for. I've seen settlements range from $20,000 to $75,000. I don't want to go in asking for too much or too little. I don't want to give too much info regarding the specifics because I don't want the other side to find this. Can someone please help me?

Well, as part of the settlement agreement you should certainly require that the apartment complex totally rescind their rules about children playing outside.

As far as money is concerned, what are your financial damages?

 

[justalayman]

You should ask your attorney on this matter. Financial awards often vary with locality as well as whether the offender has a history of improper actions.

 

[DeenaCA]

Is this a complaint that you filed on your own? Have you been contacted by anyone from the state?

In this case the state will presumably act on your behalf to settle or otherwise resolve the matter. If you are having difficulty contacting a representative with the NV Equal Rights Commission, I'd encourage you to locate a fair housing group in your area. You can find one at http://fairhousing.com/resources/agency-finder.

The housing providers will have plenty of opportunity to settle the case in the mediation/conciliation process. Wait for the state or advocacy group to assist you on this.

Here are the federal housing discrimination cases for 2016 and 2017 (I understand that you filed a state complaint): https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=fy17_16chargesapril18.pdf. See the section on familial status charges. I looked at 2 settlements that were each below $20k. Your numbers may be a little high, unless NV is super tough on this type of violation.