The center filed a federal discrimination lawsuit Friday, March 5, against The Connor Group, owner and manager of about 1,900 apartment units in the greater Dayton area.
Connor’s local properties include Stonebridge Apartment Homes in Beavercreek and Chesapeake Landing Apartments in Dayton.
The lawsuit seeks more than $25,000 in compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys’ fees, and a mandate that Connor Group employees receive fair housing law training. The center also wants to monitor Connor for compliance with federal and state laws for the next three years.
Officials with The Connor Group did not return a call for comment.
The center is a local nonprofit group that promotes fair housing. Staffers occasionally review housing advertisements online and in print media, according to the lawsuit.
A center staffer saw the online advertisement on April 4, 2009; it “appeared to state a preference for a single male, discriminating on the basis of sex and familial status,” according to the lawsuit.
The center filed a discrimination complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in May, which then asked the Civil Rights Commission to investigate.
The commission found it “probable” that Connor had engaged in discriminatory practices, according to a Nov. 12 letter signed by Ronnell Tomlinson, director of Housing Enforcement.
“Informal efforts to resolve the case during the investigation were unsuccessful,” Tomlinson wrote.
During January and February, the center reviewed other Connor Group online ads, mostly for Stonebridge Apartments. The center said the ads suggested families were not welcome.
The Connor Group began with three Dayton properties in 1991 and has grown to include more than 400 employees with properties in Atlanta, Dallas, Columbus and Cincinnati, according to its Web site. The company has $1 billion in assets, it said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2057 or lgrieco@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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