This marks the third lawsuit by the City Attorney’s Office to enforce the city’s voucher discrimination ban, which was strengthened in 2015
The Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office has filed a lawsuit against a landlord, accusing him of violating the city’s housing anti-discrimination laws by discriminating against two elderly Army veteran brothers based on their disabilities and income source.
The lawsuit, filed by the city’s Consumer Protection Unit, claims the landlord refused to accept a Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) voucher that would have helped the 77- and 80-year-old brothers afford rent at their rent-controlled apartment. Additionally, the complaint alleges he denied the tenants’ request for a chair lift, to be funded by the Office of Veterans Affairs, which would have allowed the disabled brothers to navigate the stairs in their two-story unit safely.
Santa Monica’s Housing Anti-Discrimination Ordinance prohibits landlords from discriminating against tenants with disabilities or those using housing vouchers, such as VASH or Section 8. The law requires landlords to make reasonable accommodations for disabled tenants and bars them from refusing rental subsidies or expressing discriminatory preferences. Violations can carry penalties of up to $10,000 per offense.
The city is seeking a court order to compel the landlord to stop discriminatory practices, undergo fair housing training, approve the chair lift installation, and accept the tenants’ VASH voucher. The lawsuit also requests monetary and punitive damages, as well as attorneys’ fees.
This marks the third lawsuit by the City Attorney’s Office to enforce the city’s voucher discrimination ban, which was strengthened in 2015 and upheld after a legal challenge in 2017. It is the first case involving a VASH voucher. two prior cases, judgments required landlords to accept Section 8 vouchers.
