NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones announced a $2.25 million settlement against former Hampton Roads landlord David Merryman, permanently banning him from renting property in Virginia and providing compensation for tenants who experienced years of discrimination and abuse.
The settlement resolves a civil fair housing lawsuit against Merryman, who owned rental properties in Newport News and Norfolk. It comes about two years after Merryman was sentenced to 17 years in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and race-based interference with housing and employment.
The Office of the Attorney General alleged Merryman harassed tenants for years by using racist, sexist, and homophobic slurs, refusing to make basic repairs, evicting tenants who requested those repairs, and in some cases, threatening violence…