Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_07-cv-02818/USCOURTS-cand-4_07-cv-02818-5/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 AND FINAL ORDER – CASE NO. C 07-2818 SBA (JCS)

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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

cbrancart@brancart.com

lcristoldeman@brancart.com

Attorneys for Plaintiffs

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

SIGRID HAYES; L.H., B.H., and G.H., )

minors, by their Guardian ad Litem, )

SIGRID HAYES; RAFAEL LEON- )

FLORES; SARA LEON; A.L, A.M.L., )

and A.D.L., minors, by their )

Guardian ad Litem, RAFAEL LEON- )

FLORES, )) Plaintiffs, )) vs. )) JACK H. NEWELL, JR., in his )

capacity as Trustee of the BERNICE )

NEWELL TRUST and the JACK H. )

NEWELL, SR. AND BERNICE )

NEWELL TRUST, doing business as )

Salvador Mobile Estates; JACK H. )

NEWELL, JR. and WALTER A. )

NEWELL, doing business as )

Newell’s Property Managers; )

MARTIN KRUGER; and, )

KATHERINE KRUGER, ))

Defendants. )

Case No. C 07-2818 SBA (JCS)

CONSENT DECREE AND FINAL

ORDER (REVISED)

This action was brought by plaintiffs alleging that defendants violated the federal

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

discriminating against families with children on the basis of familial status at the

Salvador Mobile Estates, a mobile home park located in Napa, California. Plaintiffs also

brought common law causes of action related to their residency at Salvador Mobile

Estates. Defendants have denied that they discriminated based on familial status or

Case 4:07-cv-02818-SBA Document 37 Filed 02/20/08 Page 1 of 4
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Defendants Martin Kruger and Katherine Kruger represent that they no longer

work in the field of residential property management. Accordingly, the parties agree that

Mr. and Mrs. Kruger will not be bound by the terms of injunctive relief stated herein;

provided, however, that the Krugers must comply with paragraphs 3(a) and 3(e) if they

work in the field of residential property management during the effective period of this

order. 

[PROPOSED] CONSENT DECREE AND FINAL ORDER – CASE NO. C 07-2818 SBA (JCS)

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otherwise violated any of the laws alleged by plaintiffs.

 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 decree and order. By entering into this

consent decree and final order ("order"), defendants make no admission of liability or

wrongdoing in connection with the allegations and claims made by plaintiffs. 

It is hereby ordered, adjudged and decreed that:

1. Defendants shall make a payment to plaintiffs in the amount of $90,000

(ninety thousand dollars) in the form of a check or checks made payable to the

Attorney-Client Trust Account of Brancart & Brancart. This amount is inclusive of all

damages and attorneys’ fees and costs to be paid to plaintiffs. Defendants shall deliver

this payment to plaintiffs’ counsel no later than February 12, 2008, 

2. Plaintiffs and defendants shall execute mutual waivers and releases

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. Those

mutual waivers and releases 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.

3. Defendants1

, their employees, agents and all others acting on their behalf

shall comply with the following terms during the duration of this order:

(a) Defendants shall comply with all federal and state housing discrimination

laws;

(b) Defendants shall append a statement to all new rental agreements to the

effect that they are an equal opportunity mobile home park and do not engage in

housing discrimination based on race, color, national origin or ethnicity, familial status,

Case 4:07-cv-02818-SBA Document 37 Filed 02/20/08 Page 2 of 4
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Copies of HUD forms are available free of charge by calling HUD at (800) 669-

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

[PROPOSED] CONSENT DECREE AND FINAL ORDER – CASE NO. C 07-2818 SBA (JCS)

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disability or handicap, gender, religion, marital status, age, sexual orientation, source of

income, or any other forms of arbitrary discrimination prohibited by law.

(c) Defendants shall provide a copy of the HUD pamphlet entitled "Are you

the victim of housing discrimination?" (HUD official form 903.1)2

 to all prospective and

current residents;

(d) Defendants shall display a fair housing poster, HUD form 928, in a

conspicuous location in the manager’s office and another common area, such as the

laundry room, at the Salvador Mobile Estates;

(e) Defendants shall attend and pay for their managers to attend a fair

housing training once per year conducted by Fair Housing Napa Valley;

(f) 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,

(g) Defendants shall provide a written document to Fair Housing Napa Valley

every year certifying that defendants have complied with the terms of the consent

decree for the previous year.

4. 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. The parties 

consent to the jurisdiction of a magistrate judge for adjudication of any issues that arise

concerning enforcement of this Order. This order will terminate at the end of the threeyear period. 

5. Defendants have amended the rules and regulations that were challenged

by plaintiffs in this action. Plaintiffs have reviewed the current version of defendants’

rules and regulations, entitled “Salvador Mobile Estates Community Rules and

Regulations.” A copy of the current rules and regulations is attached hereto as Exhibit

1. Plaintiffs agree that, on their face, the current rules and regulations do not violate the

Case 4:07-cv-02818-SBA Document 37 Filed 02/20/08 Page 3 of 4
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[PROPOSED] CONSENT DECREE AND FINAL ORDER – CASE NO. C 07-2818 SBA (JCS)

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Fair Housing Act or related state laws prohibiting discrimination in housing, including

discrimination based on familial status. 

6. The parties agree to provide at least 30 days notice and an opportunity to

cure in the event that a dispute arises or a violation of this Order is suspected before

filing any action to enforce. The parties further agree that they will exhaust good faith

mediation attempts before requesting the assistance of the Court in resolving any

disputes that arise under the terms of this order. 

Ordered this 20TH day of FEBRUARY , 2008. 

Hon. Saundra B. Armstrong

United States District Judge

Approved as to content and form:

BRANCART & BRANCART

Liza Cristol-Deman 

Attorneys for Plaintiffs

LAW OFFICE OF ANTHONY C. RODRIGUEZ

Anthony C. Rodriguez

Attorneys for Defendants

Case 4:07-cv-02818-SBA Document 37 Filed 02/20/08 Page 4 of 4