Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 14, 1993 TAG: 9307140095
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE HUDSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
By last September, her health was poor, and she decided she was wasn't well enough to keep her lot up. So she moved to an apartment in Roanoke and put a "For Sale" sign on the mobile home.
But - according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Roanoke - there was a hitch. The lawsuit says the operators of T&L Mobile Home Village forced her to turn away many prospective buyers because the operators would not allow in any tenants who had children.
Because of that, her attorney says, it took Richardson more than six months to sell the trailer. In the meantime, she had to keep on paying lot rental and utility costs.
The lawsuit says that refusing to rent to families with children violates Virginia's fair-housing laws.
The suit, which asks for unspecified damages, was filed Tuesday by David Beidler of Roanoke Valley's Legal Aid Society. It names the operators of the park, Newton D. Lumsden and James F. Thompson, as defendants.
Neither Lumsden, Thompson nor their attorney could be reached for comment. Thompson's wife said he couldn't talk about the case until he had talked to his lawyer.
The attorney, Michael Ferguson, said in an earlier letter to Beidler that the trailer park did not have a rule against families with children. Instead, Ferguson said, it was trying to limit new tenants to two people per lot to reduce strain on its septic system.
Beidler said, however, that both Richardson and at least one prospective buyer contend that Thompson told them the park was not going to allow any more children to move in. The park did have children living there during Richardson's stay.
by CNB