A property management company in Harrisburg was ordered to pay the maximum penalty — over $55,000 in damages — as part of a housing discrimination case, according to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission .
The company, 1952 Allegheny Associates LP, discriminated against one of its tenants by failing to transfer the tenant to another building based on the color of their skin and national origin, according to a press release from the PHRC. The PHRC last month ordered the property management company to pay the tenant $45,408.10 and $10,000 to the Commonwealth for emotional distress.
The company failed to participate in a dispute resolution, nor did it appear at a public hearing on the issue.Cease and desist from acting in a discriminatory manner in the terms and conditions of any lease based on a tenant’s color or national originReport to the PHRC within 90 days on how it will comply with the order
“The PHRC will always defend those who experience illegal discrimination,” said PHRC Executive Director Chad Dion Lassiter. “Impacts of discrimination are long-term and final orders like this one provide relief to those who file complaints with the PHRC.”“This order should serve as a deterrent for any landlord who disregards complaints of discrimination and refuses to participate in the Commission’s investigative process,” said Morgan Williams, interim chief counsel.