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LAW OFFICES OF JIBRAEL S. HINDI, PLLC

110 SE 6th Street, 17th Floor | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33301 | Phone (954) 907-1136 | Fax (855) 529-9540 

www.JibraelLaw.com

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

CASE NO.: 1:20-cv-21994

FLORIDA FAIR HOUSING

ALLIANCE, INC.,

Plaintiff,

v.

TOP WELL, LLC d/b/a PALM COURT 

APARTMENTS AT WELLINGTON,

Defendant.

_______________________________________/

COMPLAINT AND DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL

Plaintiff Florida Fair Housing Alliance, Inc. (the “FFH Alliance” or “Plaintiff”) sues 

Defendant Top Well, LLC doing business as Palm Court Apartments at Wellington (“Defendant”)

for violating 42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq., the Fair Housing Act.

INTRODUCTION

1. “The [Fair Housing Act] is not an instrument to force housing authorities to reorder 

their priorities. Rather, the [Fair Housing Act] aims to ensure that those priorities can be achieved 

without arbitrarily creating discriminatory effects or perpetuating segregation.” Inclusive Cmtys. 

Project, Inc., 135 S. Ct. 2507 at 2522. Due to policies and practices like blanket bans on any 

applicant with a felony conviction, such as those of Defendant as discussed below, the FFH 

Alliance has documented thousands housing units in greater South Florida area that are unavailable 

to individuals with any felony conviction from any point in time, and to many individuals with a 

misdemeanor conviction. To combat the perpetuation of segregation and stem the discriminatory 

impact of needlessly unjust practices, housing providers large and small must evaluate and revise 

the role that criminal records screening policies and practices play in their application decisions to 

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www.JibraelLaw.com

ensure that they are serving a substantial, legitimate, non-discriminatory interest and are not a 

proxy for racial discrimination.

2. The “heartland of disparate-impact suits” under the FHA are those which target

“artificial barriers to housing.” Inclusive Cmtys. Project, Inc., 135 S. Ct. 2507, 2522. In this vein, 

as revealed by the investigation conducted by the FFH Alliance, Defendant imposes a blanket 

prohibition on any person with any conviction record – no matter when the conviction occurred, 

what the underlying conduct entailed, or what the convicted person has done since. 

3. Due to the documented racial disparity in the criminal legal system, Defendant’s 

below discussed blanket prohibition on applicants with a felony conviction, by extension,

disproportionately limits housing opportunities of Hispanic applicants as compared to white 

applicants, and in so doing, violates in violation of the Fair Housing Act.

JURISDICTION AND VENUE

4. Jurisdiction of this Court arises under 42 U.S.C. § 3613(a), 28 U.S.C. § 1331, and 

28 U.S.C. § 1337.

5. Venue in this District is proper because the subject property is located in this 

district, Plaintiff resides in this district, Defendant transacts business in this district, and the 

complained conduct of Defendant occurred in this district.

PARTIES

6. The FFH Alliance is a fair housing advocacy organization and non-profit 

corporation formed in Florida, and headquartered in Miami-Dade, Florida. The FFH Alliance 

offers a variety of programs and services designed to advance fair housing in Florida. To advance

its mission of ensuring equal access to housing for all, the FFH Alliance engages in education and 

outreach; provides counseling to individuals facing discrimination; works with local and federal 

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LAW OFFICES OF JIBRAEL S. HINDI, PLLC

110 SE 6th Street, 17th Floor | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33301 | Phone (954) 907-1136 | Fax (855) 529-9540 

www.JibraelLaw.com

officials to enhance fair housing laws and their enforcement; undertakes investigations to 

uncover unlawful discrimination; and, when necessary, initiates enforcement actions.

7. Defendant is a Florida limited liability company, with its principal place of business 

located in Wellington, Florida.

DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL

8. Plaintiff, respectfully, demands a trial by jury on all counts and issues so triable.

FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS

9. Approximately 1.5 million individuals are currently serving a sentence of more than 

one year, i.e., the repayment phrase of a felony-level debt to society, under the jurisdiction of state 

or federal correctional authorities in the United States. With respect to these individuals’ 

demographics, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics: 30% are white, 33% are black, and 

25% are Hispanic.1In comparison to the demographics of the United States population (the total 

of which is estimated at 308 million), however, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 63% of the 

population is white, 13% of the population is black, 16% of the population is Hispanic.2

10. Despite making up a fractional percentage of the United States population in 

comparison to whites, Hispanic individuals are three times more likely to be convicted and

incarcerated than that of white individuals.3 Thus, in simplest terms, a policy, procedure, or 

practice that arbitrarily denies, without any consideration, housing to individuals with a felony 

conviction will absolutely have a disparate impact on Hispanic individuals. 

1 Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Prisoners in 2017, 15 (April 2019), available 

at https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/p17.pdf.

2 U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Dep’t of Commerce, Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: 2010, 6

(March 2011), available at https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-02.pdf.

3

Supra at FN. 5.

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LAW OFFICES OF JIBRAEL S. HINDI, PLLC

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www.JibraelLaw.com

11. Pursuant to its mission of ensuring equal access to housing for all, the FFH Alliance 

began investigating the “Palm Court” apartment community, located at 711 Forest Club Drive,

Wellington, Florida. 33414 (the “Complex”), for discriminatory housing practices. 

12. Defendant is the owner and otherwise landlord of the Complex.

13. On March 13, 2020, the FFH Alliance tested the Complex for unlawful 

discriminatory housing practices using a field tester. 

14. The field tester used by the FFH Alliance to test the Complex (“Field Tester” or 

“FT”) is a sui juris Hispanic male with a felony conviction.

15. On March 13, 2020, at approximately 12:58 pm, FT called the Complex at phone 

number: 561-793-8500. After dialing this number, of which was identified as being a recorded 

line, FT was promptly connected to an agent of Defendant, an individual whom identified herself 

as “Melissa,” and FT proceeded to ask whether rental property was available. Defendant, by and 

through this agent, responded without hesitation that properly was available, namely, a twobedroom apartment. FT then asked whether his (FT’s) rental application would be denied due to 

FT’s record felony conviction, to which Defendant, by and though Melissa, told FT “yes.” 

16. Defendant did not perform any investigation or inquiry into the felony conviction 

had by FT. For example, Defendant did not inquire into the type of felony, the date of conviction, 

the nature of the conviction, let alone the circumstances surrounding the felony conviction had by 

FT. Defendant simply identified FT as an individual with a felony conviction, and without any 

inquiry or investigation, chose to deter FT from renting the property Defendant held open to the 

public due to FT’s record felony conviction.

17. Defendant’s response regarding applications submitted by individuals previously 

convicted of a felony clearly shows that rental property within the Complex is subject to a blanket 

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LAW OFFICES OF JIBRAEL S. HINDI, PLLC

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www.JibraelLaw.com

prohibition of fully rehabilitated individuals with any single felony conviction. This is unlawful 

under the Fair Housing Act, as it has a disparate impact on Hispanic people, and fails to serve a 

substantial, legitimate, nondiscriminatory interest of Defendant.

18. The actions and statements of Defendant, inter alai, the practice and/or policy to 

automatically deny any prospective individual with a felony criminal record, serves to discourage

Black and Hispanic/Latino individuals with a criminal record from applying, inspecting, and 

renting the Dwelling, and otherwise restrict the choices of these individuals in connection with 

attempts to seek, negotiation for, and ultimately rent the Dwelling. 

19. The harm inflicted by discriminatory criminal records policies, like those of

Defendant, is significant, not only in terms of the sheer number of people affected, but also in 

terms of the consequences for the wellbeing of our communities. In fact, securing safe and 

affordable housing is a particularly crucial need for individuals reentering their communities 

immediately after time in prison.

20. Research shows that success in finding adequate housing is critically important to 

allowing reentrants to secure employment, government benefits, and other community ties. 

Housing has been characterized, properly, as the “lynchpin that holds the reintegration process 

together.”4 As another expert put it, “[t]he search for permanent, sustainable housing portends 

success or failure for the entire reintegration process.”5

21. Critically, the policy of Defendant to automatically deny any prospective individual 

with a felony criminal record perpetuates segregated housing patterns and discourages and/or 

4

Jeremy Travis, But They All Come Back: Facing Challenges of Prisoner Reentry 219 (2005)

5 Barbara H. Zaitzow, We’ve Come a Long Way, Baby...Or Have We? Challenges and 

Opportunities for Incarcerated Women to Overcome Reentry Barriers 233 (in Global Perspectives 

on Re-Entry (2011)).

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LAW OFFICES OF JIBRAEL S. HINDI, PLLC

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www.JibraelLaw.com

obstructs choices in the applicable community, neighborhood, and/or development. As such, the 

actions of Defendant consuetude efforts to deprive Black and Hispanic individuals of housing 

opportunities. 

22. On April 4, 2016, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 

(“HUD”) issued a document titled “Office of General Counsel Guidance on Application of Fair 

Housing Act Standards to the Use of Criminal Records by Providers of Housing and Real EstateRelated Transactions” (the “HUD Guidance”). Attached as Exhibit “A” is a copy of the HUD 

Guidance. 

23. The Guidance noted that “criminal history-based restrictions on access to housing 

are likely disproportionately to burden African Americans and Hispanics.” Id. HUD found that 

“where a policy or practice that restricts access to housing on the basis of criminal background has 

a disparate impact on individuals of a particular race ... such policy or practice is unlawful under 

the Fair Housing Act if it is not necessary to serve a substantial, legitimate, nondiscriminatory 

interest of the housing provider.” See HUD Guidance. 

24. Ultimately, HUD concluded that “a discriminatory effect resulting from a policy 

or practice that denies housing to anyone with a prior arrest or any kind of criminal 

conviction cannot be justified, and therefore such a practice would violate the Fair Housing 

Act.” Id. (emphasis added). 

25. According to recent data, studies, and HUD findings, Hispanic people are arrested, 

convicted, and imprisoned at vastly disproportionate in country as a whole, of which is consistent 

within the State of Florida. As such, Defendant's policy actually and predictably results in a 

disparate impact to Hispanic people. 

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LAW OFFICES OF JIBRAEL S. HINDI, PLLC

110 SE 6th Street, 17th Floor | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33301 | Phone (954) 907-1136 | Fax (855) 529-9540 

www.JibraelLaw.com

26. Defendant’s policy regarding the criminal history of applicants seeking to rent, 

utilize, or otherwise occupy the Dwelling is unlawful under the Fair Housing Act, as it has a 

disparate impact on individuals of Hispanic heritage and/or descent, and otherwise fails to serve a 

substantial, legitimate, nondiscriminatory interest of the housing provider.

27. HUD has found that no substantial, legitimate, nondiscriminatory interest can be 

served where “[a] housing provider ... imposes a blanket prohibition on any person with any 

conviction record – no matter when the conviction occurred, what the underlying conduct entailed, 

or what the convicted person has done since then.” Id.

28. Consistent with FFH Alliance’s fair housing testing efforts, FFH Alliance’s has a 

practice of continuing to monitor and test those entities and individuals found to have been engaged 

in discriminatory housing practices. FFH Alliance’s will continue monitoring Defendant, and its 

agents, in order to determine its (Defendant’s) ongoing compliance with the Fair Housing Act.

COUNT I.

VIOLATION OF THE FAIR HOUSING ACT

29. Plaintiff, the FFH Alliance, incorporates by reference paragraphs 1-28 of this 

Complaint as though fully stated herein.

30. Defendant is liable to Plaintiff for all injuries caused by the Fair Housing Act 

violations committed by Defendant and the agents of Defendant.

31. Defendant authorized its agents to act for it (Defendant) when Defendant’s agents 

committed the Fair Housing Act violations alleged herein. The agents of Defendant accepted the 

undertaking of acting on behalf of Defendant when they (Defendant’s agents) committed the Fair 

Housing Act violations alleged herein. Defendant had control over its (Defendant’s) agents when 

said agents committed the Fair Housing Act violations alleged herein.

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LAW OFFICES OF JIBRAEL S. HINDI, PLLC

110 SE 6th Street, 17th Floor | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33301 | Phone (954) 907-1136 | Fax (855) 529-9540 

www.JibraelLaw.com

32. With respect to the matter at hand, Defendant’s criminal history policy and/or 

practice – as identified above – is arbitrary, artificial, and unnecessary to achieve a valid interest 

or legitimate objective such as a practical business, profit, policy consideration, or requirement of 

law. Further, there is a robust causal link between the above noted policy and/or practice of 

Defendant and the disparate impact on Hispanic people, as Hispanic individuals are 

disproportionally more likely to have been convicted of a felony than that of white individuals. As 

a result, Defendant’s practice of automatically, or otherwise without any review or investigation, 

denying any prospective individual with a felony criminal record has a direct, disproportionate 

discriminatory effect on Hispanic individuals, as exemplified by the test conducted by Plaintiff.

33. Defendant has violated the Fair Housing Act by, inter alia, making unavailable 

and/or otherwise denying the Dwelling to individuals on the basis of race and/or criminal record. 

34. As a result of Defendant’s conduct - committed despite being engaged in the 

business of real estate, coupled with Plaintiff’s ongoing monitoring efforts - Plaintiff has suffered, 

is continuing to suffer, and will in the future suffer irreparable loss and injury and a real and 

immediate threat of future discrimination by Defendant.

35. WHEREFORE, Plaintiff FFH Alliance, respectfully, requests that this Court:

(a) Declare the above-mentioned actions, omissions, polices, and procedures, 

of Defendant to be in violation of the Fair Housing Act;

(b) Award damages to Plaintiff against Defendant;

(c) Enter a permanent injunction enjoining Defendant from discriminating 

against individuals on the basis of race and/or criminal history;

(d) Enter a permanent injunction compelling Defendant to amend its 

(Defendant’s) polices, procedures, and practices, that discriminate against

individuals on the basis of race and/or criminal history; 

(e) Award Plaintiff costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees; and

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LAW OFFICES OF JIBRAEL S. HINDI, PLLC

110 SE 6th Street, 17th Floor | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33301 | Phone (954) 907-1136 | Fax (855) 529-9540 

www.JibraelLaw.com

(f) Any other relief that this Court deems appropriate and just under the 

circumstances.

DATED: May 12, 2020

Respectfully Submitted,

 /s/ Jibrael S. Hindi .

JIBRAEL S. HINDI, ESQ.

Florida Bar No.: 118259

E-mail: jibrael@jibraellaw.com

THOMAS J. PATTI, ESQ.

Florida Bar No.: 118377

E-mail: tom@jibraellaw.com

The Law Offices of Jibrael S. Hindi

110 SE 6th Street, Suite 1744

Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301

Phone: 954-907-1136

COUNSEL FOR PLAINTIFF

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