The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has held that anyone who commits a prohibited act of discrimination in rental housing may be held personally liable under the Fair Housing Act, regardless of whether that person is an employee or agent of the owner or management company. To quote the decision, “This court adopts the position that anyone who commits an act set forth in the statute is liable.” [Fair Housing Justice Center, Inc. v. Broadway Crescent Realty, Inc., No. 10 Civ. 34 (CM), 2011 WL 856095 (S.D.N.Y), March 9, 2011].
This reaffirms the importance of professional fair housing training for all those who are engaged in the rental of housing.