Post Type
Martinez v. Optimus Properties LLC
About the Campaign
Real estate developer Optimus Properties agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle a lawsuit, brought by Public Advocates, charging widespread housing discrimination. The suit, brought by 15 tenants living in five rent-controlled Koreatown buildings either currently or formerly owned by Optimus Properties, alleged that Optimus targeted Spanish-speaking Latino tenants, tenants with disabilities, and families with children by serving them with dozens of gratuitous and undeserved eviction notices, refusing to make repairs, and verbally attacking their disabilities and national origin in an effort to get them to move out so they could raise the rents.
As part of the settlement agreement, Optimus also agreed to reserve the next seven vacancies in their buildings for Section 8 tenants and accept late rent payments from three disabled tenants, giving them time to cash their social security checks.