Black real estate investors in the Houston area file lawsuit after they say they were denied property units
Three Black real estate investors have filed a discrimination lawsuit in a federal court in the Houston area, claiming that in August a real estate agent refused them the option to purchase three condominiums in a newly constructed community.
They say that they were denied the units because of their race.
In the suit, James Ra-Amari, his wife, Misty Ra-Amari, and Misty’s sister, Rosemary Afful, say that the realtor, Josie Lin, “immediately” “showed reluctance to interact” with them when the trio expressed interest in buying three condos at Grand West Condos, located in Katy, Texas, just west of Houston.
According to the suit, Lin told the Ra-Amaris that they wouldn’t be able to secure a Fannie Mae mortgage loan for the unit, due to the “owner-occupancy ratio of the condominiums.”
In the court documents, the plaintiffs say that they never expressed a desire for Fannie Mae financing.
“I’ve been in real estate for over 15 years, and I’ve never experienced anything like that,” Misty Ra-Amari told CNN.
Lin and Grand West Condos declined CNN’s requests for comment.
The lawsuit
The Ra-Amaris and Afful filed a federal discrimination lawsuit on Friday against Lin; Lin’s company, UMRE; Grand West Condominiums; Grand West Residential Condominium Association, Inc.; United Property Management; and RE/MAX and EXP Reality, two real estate brokerages.
In the suit, the plaintiffs allege that a Grand West Condos information packet marketed the complex as a “new option for Chinese and Asian communities.”
According to the suit, Lin told the plaintiffs that “all the current owners were personal friends and knew each other.”
The plaintiffs say that they have $2 million in economic damages and additional compensatory, special and punitive damages for extreme mental anguish and emotional distress.
Included in court documents obtained by..
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