The Florida Attorney General's Office said it intervened in a lawsuit filed by a man with AIDS who alleges Cornerstone Residential Management Co. barred him from renting an apartment because of his illness. Cornerstone had argued Techler Dugoirand's case should be thrown out because he did not file a claim with an administrative agency first, however, the attorney general's office and the Miami-Dade County Attorney's Office argued that a long-standing fair housing precedent protects the rights of housing discrimination victims to go straight to court.
Judge David Miller reversed an earlier order and found that Dugoirand, 47, could choose to proceed directly to court. Coral Gables-based Cornerstone Group could not immediately be reached for comment.
The attorney general's office asked and was granted permission to intervene only on the question of whether Dugoirand could take his case to court without first filing an administrative claim.
The office is also investigating Cornerstone for allegedly discriminating against people with children. It has subpoenaed 40 affordable-housing apartment properties, and the company has been sued in Palm Beach County for similar allegations.
In a prepared statement issued in September, Cornerstone Group President Leon Wolfe denied any charges of discrimination and said the firm will cooperate with the investigation.
Source: BizJournals.com