Primary plaintiffs Jerrold Lewis and Domenica Lewis filed the Silvertree Mojave housing discrimination class action lawsuit on behalf of the entire family that includes two children. The couple asserted the homeowner’s association violated state and federal fair housing statutes by implementing a policy that prohibited children who live at the complex from playing in the areas shared by other residents.
Since 2003, the Silvertree Mojave homeowner’s association passed several resolutions that reportedly prevented kids from enjoying recreational activities within the condominium property. The association threatened swift and expensive punishments for families that violated the resolutions. Plaintiffs Jerrold and Domenica Lewis alleged that the punishment per violation was $50. Moreover, the class action lawsuit contends the homeowner’s association encouraged residents who witnessed violations of the resolutions to call Child Protective Services. According to the Lewis class action lawsuit, the resolutions discriminated against them and their children based on age.
Project Sentinel, which is a non-profit advocacy group for housing fairness, joined the class action lawsuit as a co-plaintiff. The addition of Pro Sentinel motivated Silvertree Mojave to agree to the class action settlement, although the company refuses to admit to any wrongdoing. Silvertree Mojave settled the class action lawsuit to avoid paying additional legal expenses. Terms of the settlement include the establishment of an $800,000 settlement fund that will pay out on a pro rata basis. Silvertree Mojave must also compensate the Lewis family $35,000 in punitive damages.
What You Need To Know About The Silvertree Mohave Housing Discrimination Lawsuit and Settlement
According to class counsel, eligible class action settlement class members “include all persons who lived at the Silvertree Mohave condominium complex in Fremont, Calif. between Jan. 1, 2011 and July 16, 2016, and either lived there with children under the age of 14 or were themselves children under the age of 14.” Class members have until September 11, 2017 to opt out of the settlement or object to any of the provisions mandated by the agreement. The potential award for qualifying class members is $2,335. Class members must submit the Household Information Form that came with the Class Notice. The Household Information form replaces the standard class action settlement claim form as the paperwork eligible class members must submit for the case. The deadline to submit the Household Information Form is September 11, 2017.
The judge who issued the class action settlement ruling for the case Lewis, et al. v. Silvertree Mohave Homeowners’ Association Inc., et al., Case No. 3:16-cv-03581, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has scheduled the final hearing on October 26, 2017. Visit the class action settlement website www.SilvertreeMohaveSettlement.com to learn what happened at the final hearing. The class action settlement website also includes the list of attorneys representing the class and defense counsels.
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