Overview
On August 23, 2017, plaintiffs, including the Long Island Housing Services, Inc. reached a $387,500 settlement with the Village of Mastic Beach, ending a discrimination under the Fair Housing Act and Equal Protection Clauses of the United States Constitution lawsuit. Under the terms of the settlement, the Village of Mastic Beach will pay $387,500 to the plaintiffs, who include six individual tenants and two landlords.
Case Background
Filed on February 9, 2015, plaintiffs filed this case against the Village of Mastic Beach, New York and Timothy Brojer, the former Village Administrator of Mastic Beach, and others who acted on behalf of the Village. Specifically, Village of Mastic Beach Code Enforcement officials had evicted several African American tenants who receive housing subsidies, citing minor housing code violations, without providing lawful notice or an opportunity to be heard prior to the eviction. Village officials routinely ordered tenants to walk away from their homes and belongings with only a few hours’ notice. The plaintiffs’ complaint alleged that this conduct violated the federal Fair Housing Act and the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the United States Constitution, among other laws.
Prior to filing the lawsuit, LIHS investigated complaints of aggressive code enforcement targeting African American renters and landlords.
The case is styled: Long Island Housing Services, Inc. v. Village of Mastic Beach, Case No. Case 2:15-cv-00629, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York