Landlord investigated
on bias accusations
By EMAN VAROQUA,
northjersey.com from the Web, August 17, 2005
A Clifton landlord may face penalties
if the state proves a Clifton pair were turned away because of race when they
tried to rent an apartment, authorities said Tuesday.
But owners of The Parker Inn, the landlord, say they are being falsely charged
and are the victims of revenge for deciding not to rent an apartment out.
Kemal Lepenica, the principal owner of The Parker Inn, will have to answer the
state attorney general's findings before a mediator. The state
launched an investigation after Edward Mirrer and his roommate, Jonnie Coleman,
alleged they were denied the apartment because Coleman is black.
"The allegations are totally false," said Kemal's son, Jay Lepenica, when
reached by telephone Tuesday.
Attorney general's investigators said there was enough evidence to support a
reasonable suspicion based on the pair's claims. Mirrer, who is white,
responded in February 2005 to an ad for an available apartment, according to
authorities.
Kemal Lepenica showed Mirrer the unit, and Mirrer submitted a deposit, officials
said. Mirrer told investigators he was going to return the following day
to finalize the paperwork.
Coleman went to the building that evening but later told officials that workers
wouldn't show her the apartment. When Mirrer returned the next day,
Lepenica allegedly had withdrawn his offer for the apartment. State
investigators said Mirrer told them Lepenica said he didn't want
African-Americans living in his building.
"It seems clear that the landlord had every intention of renting the apartment
to the complainants until he learned one of them is African-American," said J.
Frank Vespa-Papaleo, state Division of Civil Rights director. "We need to
send a message to the citizens of New Jersey that housing discrimination will
not be tolerated."
But Jay Lepenica says that's not what happened. He says his father had no
idea that Coleman went to view the apartment or that Coleman and Mirrer were
roommates.
"My father returned the partial deposit because he [Mirrer] told my dad he was
down on his luck and doesn't have a regular job," said Jay Lepenica. "He
came in intoxicated and that's when my dad returned the deposit."
The case will be heard in a mediation session presided over by the state, but if
a settlement can't be reached, the case will then be heard before a state
administrative law judge.
If the state proves its case, Lepenica could be fined up to $10,000 in damages.
If not, the claims would be dismissed.
Denying housing to people based on ethnicity or other such characteristics is
illegal in New Jersey and violates the anti-discrimination law, which carries
penalties of up to $10,000 for first-time offenders. Those who violate the
law two or more times face a fine of $25,000 to $50,000.
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