Fortune Soc'y v. Sandcastle Towers Hous. Dev. Fund Corp.

388 F. Supp. 3d 145
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedJuly 3, 2019
Docket14 Civ. 6410 (VMS)
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 388 F. Supp. 3d 145 (Fortune Soc'y v. Sandcastle Towers Hous. Dev. Fund Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fortune Soc'y v. Sandcastle Towers Hous. Dev. Fund Corp., 388 F. Supp. 3d 145 (E.D.N.Y. 2019).

Opinion

Vera M. Scanlon, United States Magistrate Judge:

Plaintiff The Fortune Society ("Plaintiff" or "Fortune") brings this action against Sandcastle Towers Housing Development Fund Corp., Sarasota Gold, LLC, E & M Associates, LLC and Weissman Realty Group, LLC (collectively, "Defendants") for injunctive, monetary and declarative relief. Am. Compl. ¶ 1, ECF No. 30. Plaintiff alleges that, in violation of the Fair Housing Act, Defendants' housing policy has the purpose or effect of discriminating against African-American and Latino persons, including Fortune's clients. Id. Before the Court is Plaintiff's partial motion for summary judgment,1 ECF No. 94, and Defendants' motion for summary judgment, ECF No. 97, both brought pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure ("Rule") 56. Defendants also move to dismiss for lack of standing pursuant to Rule *15212. ECF No. 115. Each side moves to exclude the other side's expert testimony. ECF Nos. 94-1 at 32-33; 97-1 at 7-18; 98 at 35-38.2 For the reasons stated herein, the Court: (i) denies Plaintiff's partial motion for summary judgment; (ii) denies in part and grants in part Defendants' cross motion for summary judgment; (iii) denies Defendants' motion to dismiss for lack of standing; (iv) denies Defendants' motion to exclude the expert testimony of Dr. Allan McMillan Parnell; and (v) denies as moot Plaintiff's motion to exclude the expert testimony of Donald Welsch, with leave to renew in a pretrial motion.

I. BACKGROUND

a. Procedural History

Plaintiff commenced this action by filing a complaint alleging that Defendants have a housing policy of automatically excluding any person with a record of a criminal conviction from renting or living3 in an apartment at the Sand Castle apartment complex in Queens, New York (the "Sand Castle"), and that this policy has the purpose or effect of discriminating against African-American and Latino persons, including Fortune's clients, in violation of the Fair Housing Act ("FHA") and New York State and City law. Compl. ¶ 1, ECF No. 1. Plaintiff alleges that the policy resulted in the denial of housing at the Sand Castle for twenty of Fortune's clients and cost Plaintiff $65,000 in additional rent, as well as an unspecified additional amount in brokers' fees. ECF No. 116 at 7. The Parties consented to this Court's jurisdiction in accordance with 28 U.S.C. § 636(c) and Rule 73. ECF No. 26. Plaintiff submitted an amended complaint, ECF No. 30, to add Defendant E & M Associates, LLC, and to add perfecting citations, ECF No. 27. Defendants filed an amended answer. ECF No. 37. The Parties subsequently cross-moved for summary judgment, ECF Nos. 94, 97, which was followed by supplemental motion practice relating to standing, ECF Nos. 115-17, 119, 122, 125, and submission of supplemental authority, ECF Nos. 126, 129.

b. Relevant Facts

After reviewing both Plaintiff's and Defendants' Rule 56.1 statements and the responses thereto, together with the exhibits and submissions of both sides, the Court finds that the following relevant facts are undisputed, unless otherwise indicated.

i. The Sand Castle, Acquisition And Staffing

The Sand Castle is a four-building apartment complex with 917 rental units located at 7-11 Seagirt Avenue in Far Rockaway, Queens. Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶ 11, ECF No. 94-2; Defs.' Resp. to Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶ 11, ECF No. 131. In 2006, Defendant Sarasota Gold LLC ("Sarasota Gold"), a New York corporation, acquired the Sand Castle buildings and has since held all equitable interest in the property. Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶ 12, ECF No. 94-2; Defs.' Resp. to Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶ 12, ECF No. 131. Sarasota Gold is owned by, among others, Aryeh Ginzberg and Irving Langer, with Mr. Ginzberg as both the corporation's largest shareowner and its managing member. Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶ 13, ECF

*153No. 94-2; Defs.' Resp. to Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶ 13, ECF No. 131. Prior to its acquisition by Sarasota Gold, the Sand Castle predominantly provided senior housing. Defs.' 56.1 Stmt. ¶ 12, ECF No. 97-2; Pl.'s Resp. to Defs.' 56.1 Stmt. ¶ 12, ECF No. 98-2. Sarasota Gold, however, made renovations to the building, and, as apartments became available, began to accept residents who paid their rent in whole or in part with governmental rent subsidies, such as Hurricane Sandy victims with FEMA funding. Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶¶ 14-15, ECF No. 94-2; Defs.' Resp. to Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶¶ 14-15, ECF No. 131.

Shortly after acquiring the Sand Castle, Sarasota Gold entered an agreement with Defendant E & M Associates LLC ("E&M") to serve as the Sand Castle's management company, and E&M has since directed and controlled the complex's staff. Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶¶ 23-24, ECF No. 94-2; Defs.' Resp. to Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶¶ 23-24, ECF No. 131. E&M is owned by Mr. Langer, and Mr. Ginzberg is Senior Vice President (each is an owner of Sarasota Gold). Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶ 25, ECF No. 94-2; Defs.' Resp. to Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶ 25, ECF No. 131. Since 2009, Defendant Weissman Realty Group, LLC ("Weissman") provided brokerage services for the Sand Castle, and two of Weissman's employees, Melissa Gursky and Heidi Hershkowitz, worked on-site (from 2009-2012 and 2013-present, respectively). Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶¶ 26-27, ECF No. 94-2; Defs.' Resp. to Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶¶ 26-27, ECF No. 131. These on-site employees were under the direction and control of Sarasota Gold and E&M, and later Defendant Sandcastle Towers Housing Development Fund Corporation ("Sandcastle Towers"). Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶ 29, ECF No. 94-2; Defs.' Resp. to Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶ 29, ECF No. 131.

The Parties agree that Sarasota Gold's and E&M's senior leadership have minimal-to-no involvement in the day-to-day operations of the Sand Castle. Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶ 30, ECF No. 94-2; Defs.' Resp. to Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶ 30, ECF No. 131. Three members of E&M - Phil Goldstein, Meyer Brecher and Sruly Tress - helped manage the Sand Castle during the period relevant to this litigation. Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶¶ 36-37, ECF No. 94-2; Defs.' Resp. to Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶¶ 36-37, ECF No. 131. Mr. Tress has managed the Sand Castle since January 2014, is under the direction and control of E&M, and is on-site once per-week. Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶¶ 45-46, 48, ECF No. 94-2; Defs.' Resp. to Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶¶ 45-46, 48, ECF No. 131.

ii. The Regulatory Agreement

In 2013, Sarasota Gold entered into an agreement with the New York City Housing Development Corporation to become a provider of affordable housing (the "Regulatory Agreement"). Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶ 16, ECF No. 94-2; Defs.' Resp. to Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶ 16, ECF No. 131. The Regulatory Agreement requires that 90% of Sand Castle residents earn no more than 125% of the Area Median Income and that 10% of residents earn no more than 135% of the Area Median Income. Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶ 90, ECF No. 94-2; Defs.' Resp. to Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶ 90, ECF No. 131. As applied by the Sand Castle staff, this typically means that applicants cannot earn more than $70,000 annually. Pl.'s 56.1 Stmt. ¶ 91, ECF No. 94-2; Defs.' Resp.

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Bluebook (online)
388 F. Supp. 3d 145, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fortune-socy-v-sandcastle-towers-hous-dev-fund-corp-nyed-2019.