06/08/2010 // West Palm Beach, FL, USA // Tara Monks // Tara Monks
Yonkers, NY – A Yonkers landlord who was found guilty of discriminating against a man in a wheelchair was ordered to pay $37,710 in damages and penalties on May 22, 2010, as reported by The Journal News.
Maher Mukattash, of the Woodworth Riverside Realty Corp., was found guilty of discrimination for failing to install a wheelchair ramp for tenant Joseph Lovallo. An administrative law judge decided the amount for Mukattash to pay. Mukattash was also ordered to take fair housing training.
The orders to enroll in training came after Mukattash told the director of fair housing for the Westchester County Human Rights Commission that he would not have rented out a first-floor apartment to Joseph Lovallo if he knew that Lovallo used a wheelchair.
The Lovallo case represents the first decision made by the county Fair Housing Board since its 2008 creation.
Delores Brathwaite, Human Rights Commissioner for Westchester County, said she did not consider the fine to be harsh. She stated, “It sends the message that we must remain cognizant of the rights of the disabled community…It also shows that the county’s Fair Housing Law has been able to provide justice for (Lovallo).”
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