The district attorney of Washington, D.C., has filed a lawsuit against a district property management company after it allegedly facilitated a hostile housing environment that subjected Black women tenants “to persistent pervasive race-based and sex-based harassment, including threats of physical violence,” according to a news release from the district attorney’s office.
The civil complaint filed Jan. 31 states that UDR, Inc.’s refusal to take action to protect its tenants violated both the D.C. Human Rights Act, which serves to protect tenants against race and sex discrimination, and the Consumer Protection Procedures Act, designed to shield tenants from deceptive housing practices.
The suit filed by Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb claims that UDR ignored months of complaints “and repeated pleas” about the behavior of another tenant of Waterside Towers Apartments, located in Ward 6 in the heart of Washington.
Waterside Towers is one of several apartment complexes managed by UDR across the United States, including some in the nation’s capital.