Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-5_05-cv-04551/USCOURTS-cand-5_05-cv-04551-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 443
Nature of Suit: Civil Rights Accommodations
Cause of Action: 42:405 Fair Housing Act

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[Proposed] Consent Decree

BRANCART & BRANCART

Christopher Brancart (SBN 128475)

Liza Cristol-Deman (SBN 190516)

Post Office Box 686

Pescadero, CA 94060

Tel: (650) 879-0141

Fax: (650) 879-1103

Attorneys for Plaintiffs

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

SAN JOSE DIVISION

PROJECT SENTINEL, a California )

Nonprofit Corporation, )

) Plaintiff, )

) vs. )

) COUCH INVESTMENTS, LLC, a )

California Limited Liability )

Company; JAMES HIPP, individually )

and in his capacity as the Resident )

Manager of the MONTECITO )

APARTMENTS, ))

Defendants. )

Case No. C-05-04551 JW

[PROPOSED] CONSENT DECREE

AND FINAL ORDER

This action was brought by plaintiff alleging that defendants violated the Fair

Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. section 3601 et seq., and related state laws by discriminating

on the basis of familial status in connection with the ownership and operation of the

apartment complex known as the Montecito Apartments, located at 2044 and 2054

Montecito Avenue in Mountain View, California.

The parties have agreed that in order to avoid protracted and costly litigation the

controversy should be resolved without a trial or adjudication on the merits and

therefore have consented to entry of this consent decree and order. By entering into

this agreement, defendants make no admission of liability.

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORN

I

A

IT IS SO ORDERED

Judge James Ware

Case 5:05-cv-04551-JW Document 16 Filed 03/21/06 Page 1 of 4
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28 Copies of HUD forms are available free of charge by calling HUD at (800) 669- 1/

9777, or on HUD’s website, located at www.hud.gov.

[Proposed] Consent Decree -2-

It is hereby ordered, adjudged and decreed that:

MONETARY TERMS

1. Defendant shall make a monetary payment of thirty thousand dollars

($30,000) to plaintiffs in the form of a check made payable to the Attorney-Client Trust

Account of Brancart & Brancart, federal tax identification number 94-3243807. This

payment shall be delivered to plaintiffs' counsel within 10 days of entry of the consent

decree and final order. This amount is inclusive of all attorneys’ fees and costs.

RELEASE TERMS

2. Within ten days of the date of entry of this order, plaintiff and defendants shall

execute a mutual waiver and release indicating that this consent decree and final order

constitutes a full and final settlement of any and all claims that they have related to the

subject matter of this lawsuit. That mutual waiver and release shall include a waiver of

all known and unknown claims and a waiver of the rights of all parties under California

Civil Code section 1542.

EQUITABLE TERMS

3. Defendants shall be prohibited from engaging in unlawful discrimination in

housing;

4. Defendants shall revise their apartment rules to eliminate the nightly curfew,

and revise all other rules that reflect a limitation on children or families with children;

5. Defendants shall not steer or attempt to steer applicants or tenants to

certain units based on their familial status;

6. Defendants shall provide a copy of the HUD pamphlet entitled "Are you

the victim of housing discrimination?" (HUD official form 903.1. ) to all prospective and 1

current tenants at the Montecito Apartments;

7. Defendants shall advertise each vacancy to be filled at the rental

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[Proposed] Consent Decree -3-

premises by placing an advertisement in a publication of general circulation or on a

website available to the public, which shall include the statement, "We're a Fair Housing

Provider," or words to that effect;

8. Defendants shall display a fair housing poster, HUD form 928, in a

conspicuous location in the manager’s office or a common area of the Montecito

Apartments;

9. The resident manager of the Montecito Apartments shall attend a fair

housing training once per year for three years conducted by Project Sentinel; a

representative of Couch Investments, LLC shall attend one fair housing training

conducted by Project Sentinel within 60 days of entry of the consent decree; all training

costs are to be borne by defendants;

10. Defendants shall keep copies of all rental documents, including rental

applications, supporting documentation, rental agreements, rules, notices, and evictionrelated documents for a period of not less than three years; and,

11. Defendants shall provide a written document to Project Sentinel every

year certifying that defendants have complied with the terms of the consent decree for

the previous year.

* * * * *

12. This order shall be in effect for a period of three years from the date of entry,

and the Court shall retain jurisdiction for purposes of enforcement. This order will

terminate at the end of the three-period.

13. The parties agree to attempt to work out in good faith any disputes that arise

under the terms of this order. Only after good faith mediation attempts have been 

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[Proposed] Consent Decree -4-

exhausted will the parties request the assistance of the Court in resolving the dispute.

Plaintiffs shall provide notice in writing to defendants at least ten (10) days prior to

initiating any contempt proceedings.

Ordered this day of , 2006.

Honorable James Ware

United States District Judge

Approved as to content and form:

Plaintiffs’ counsel attests that the foregoing document is acceptable to all

parties required to sign below.

BRANCART & BRANCART

/s/ Dated: March 16, 2006

Christopher Brancart

Attorney for Plaintiffs

LAW OFFICE OF LANCE BURROW

/s/ Dated: March 16, 2006

Lance Burrow

Attorney for Defendants

21ST MARCH

Case 5:05-cv-04551-JW Document 16 Filed 03/21/06 Page 4 of 4