Oklahoma City Landlord Settles Fair Housing Case for $52,500: Mother Was Refused a Rental Because of Her Child
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that the owners of a residential rental property in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, have agreed to pay $52,500 to resolve a lawsuit alleging that they refused to rent a one-bedroom apartment to a single mother upon learning that she would be living with her child, in violation of the Fair Housing Act.
The Department's lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma in August 2025, alleges that in July 2022 a woman inquired about renting a unit at the defendants' 36-unit apartment complex known as The Vintage at Mesta Park. The apartment was close to her work and across the street from a school where she hoped to send her then-three-year-old son. She viewed a newly remodeled one-bedroom unit and said she wanted to move forward with renting it. Defendant Jacqueline Fox, who managed the property and owned the LLC that owns the property, initially told the woman she would be approved to move in; but when the woman mentioned she would be moving in with her son, Fox responded that no children had resided at the property in over eight years and that the property was not “kid friendly,” and refused to rent to the woman and her son.
The woman filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). After HUD completed an investigation and issued a charge of discrimination, it referred the case to the Justice Department. Under the settlement agreement, the defendants must pay $52,500 to the woman who was denied the apartment, implement a nondiscrimination policy and practices, and undergo training to prevent future discrimination, including familial status discrimination, at The Vintage at Mesta Park.
“The Fair Housing Act has long prohibited landlords from denying renters simply because they have children. Unfortunately, this type of discrimination still occurs today,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. “A home should bring a family together, not force a mother to choose between a roof over her head and her own child,” said Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Craig W. Trainor of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (GSM, based on a U.S. Department of Justice announcement)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Oklahoma City 市政大楼与 Devon Tower（资料图）。照片：Michael Barera，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Oklahoma City Municipal Building and Devon Tower (file photo). Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
