A lawsuit filed against the owners of the Sand Castle apartment building in 2014 has been settled for $1.18 million.
The settlement comes after the Fortune Society got employees of the Sand Castle to admit the company had a ban on renting to anyone with a criminal record.
The Fortune Society, which helps formerly incarcerated people find decent accommodations, accused the owners of the Sand Castle of violating the Fair Housing Act by refusing to rent to anyone with a criminal background no matter what they were incarcerated for.
John Relman, an attorney for the Fortune Society told the New York Daily News, "When housing providers deny basic rights to those who have been formerly incarcerated, they are imposing harsh limitations on where these individuals can live and work which perpetuates poverty and segregation, and dramatically increase the likelihood that they will return to prison."
The Fortune Society CEO JoAnne Page said, "This settlement fires a warning shot across the bow of any landlord in America who refuses to rent apartments to people who had involvement with our criminal justice system."
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