FHCMD NEWS

NEWS ITEM, JUNE 2014 - - FHCMD Cooperating Attorney Gary Strauss advised that he obtained a settlement in the matter of William Stridiron v. Plymouth Woods Apartments, LLC located in Livonia. The plaintiffs suffers from PTSD, a disability recognized by the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, and, upon receiving a notice that his landlord would not renew his lease, he requested that they allow more time in which to relocate his family of four. 

NEWS ITEM, JUNE 2014 - - Larry and Karen Bradley, an African American married couple residing in Detroit sought to take advantage of the LIVE IN DETROIT program through Ms. Bradley’s employment  with DTE Energy. They attempted to purchase a unit at Charbonneau Cooperative located in Lafayette Park section of Detroit.

Cooperating Attorney Steve Tomkowiak has informed FHCMD that he has obtained a settlement in Federal Court in the amount of $25,000 on behalf of Anja Szelinski-D’Mariano against the owners and management of Lake Village of Auburn Hills. Ms. Szelinski-D’Mariano, a 20- year Air Force veteran with service in the Gulf War, suffers from chronic knee and lower-back pain, which severely limits her ability to walk.

A settlement of $100,000 in the matter of FHCMD v. Shelby Park Manor has been reached, reports Cooperating Attorney John A. Obee. After more than a year of testing, the Shelby Township property showed evidence of differences in treatment on the basis of race and familial status. FHCMD filed an action in Federal Court earlier this year.

A FHCMD case successfully settled was spotlighted by ProPublica, a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative news organization. ProPublica focuses exclusively on stories with “moral force” by producing journalism that shines a light on exploitation of the weak by the strong and on the failures of those with power to vindicate the trust placed in them. 

LaShae Brooks, a former student at Oakland University, has filed a federal court action against the university alleging familial status. Ms. Brooks matriculated at the university her first year, and later gave birth to her daughter. Upon returning to continue her education, she inquired as to campus housing and was informed that families were not allowed any longer.