The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has charged the Owners Association and General Manager of Preferred RV Resort, a recreational vehicle resort in Pahrump, Nevada, with discriminating against a family with three minor children. Read the charge.
Pahrump is an unincorporated town in the southernmost part of Nye County, about 62 miles west of Las Vegas. The town is adjacent to the Nevada–California border.
The Fair Housing Act forbids discrimination against families with children under the age of 18. This includes using discriminatory terms and conditions for families with children, making discriminatory statements about them, and harassing tenants because they have young children. “RV parks that offer options for long-term stays are required to abide by the Fair Housing Act and ensure that they are providing families with children the same terms and conditions as adults without children,” said Demetria L. McCain, HUD’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.
HUD’s Charge of Discrimination alleges that Preferred RV Resort, which houses some visitors year-round and others for up to nine months, discriminated against families by placing unreasonable age restrictions on many of its amenities, including forbidding anyone under 18 years old from being in the outdoor swimming pool unattended, contrary to state law, and restricting children under 14 years old from using the property’s billiards room and spa. Also, it is alleged that the property’s management made statements criticizing parents about letting their children be unsupervised on the property. Images on the resort’s website and promotional materials are only of adults using and enjoying the resort’s amenities and grounds, with no depictions of children or families.
A U. S. Administrative Law Judge will hear HUD’s Charge unless any party to the Charge elects to have the case heard in federal district court. If an administrative law judge finds, after a hearing, that discrimination has occurred, the judge may award damages to the family for their losses as a result of the discrimination, injunctive relief and other equitable relief, to deter further discrimination, payment of attorney fees, and civil penalties. If a federal court hears the case, the judge may also award punitive damages to the complainants.
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