Greystar Real Estate Partners

On January 28, 2021, Coyle Browne Law filed a disability discrimination lawsuit against Greystar Real Estate Partners, LLC, Greystar California, Inc., Greystar Management Services, L.P., Greystar Worldwide, LLC, GDCV Residential Portfolio, L.P., and GDCV Market Street 87, LLC (collectively “Greystar”) alleging that Greystar discriminated against our client on the basis of her disability in violation of the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA), the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), the San Francisco Administrative Code, and California Civil Code sections 51 and 51.5.  The case is filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, 3:21-cv-00698-SI.

Allegations: Our client rented an apartment in San Francisco for three years. She was extremely fortunate to rent the apartment by way of a lottery conducted as part of San Francisco’s Inclusionary Housing Program (also known as “Below-Market-Rate Program” or “BMR”), which Greystar was required to participate in. As a BMR tenant, her rent was capped substantially below the market rate.

Our client is disabled with a condition that makes her sensitive and vulnerable to even small concentrations of sprayed pesticides. When she breathes even relatively low concentrations of these chemicals, she has an acute reaction which can include tremors, widespread nerve pain, difficulty breathing, and nausea or vomiting.

To prevent any such episodes during her tenancy, she and her doctor requested — on multiple occasions — that Greystar not spray pesticides anywhere on the property.

She provided Greystar with a list of established pest control companies with large-scale residential accounts that were capable of treating all common household pests with non-spray pest control methods.

Greystar was well aware of our client’s disability and need for accommodation, but nonetheless refused her accommodation request and sprayed pesticides anyway.

As a result, our client was forced to vacate her apartment in the onset of the COVID pandemic and – for lack of an available alternative – sleep in a rental car on the street for several months.

This entire situation – including the harm to our client and the loss of her BMR unit – was completely avoidable.

Anyone with information about discrimination, harassment, retaliation or other civil rights violations by Greystar, or anyone else in California, is encouraged to contact the employment law attorneys with Coyle Browne Law for a free consultation at 800-421-2594 or team@coylebrownelaw.com.