PHOENIX – Attorney General Mayes announced today that the Civil Rights Division of the Attorney General’s Office secured a Consent Decree to successfully resolve a public enforcement discrimination lawsuit against Shirley Ann Enterprises, LLC (“Shirley Ann”). The suit alleged that Shirley Ann violated the Arizona Fair Housing Act when it refused to renew a lease due to a tenant’s disability-related need for an assistance animal and retaliated against and interfered with a tenant’s fair housing rights.
The Arizona Fair Housing Act (“AFHA”) prohibits disability discrimination in the sale or rental of housing. Discrimination under the AFHA includes failing to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, and practices, such as denying a tenant the right to have an assistance animal when necessary for a disability. The AFHA also prohibits coercion, intimidation, threats, or interference with any person’s fair housing rights.
“The journey toward fair housing for all is far from over," said Attorney General Mayes. "My office is committed to protecting fair housing rights in Arizona, including the right to access safe and affordable housing free from discrimination. Where barriers to fair housing continue to persist in Arizona, my office is committed to standing up for Arizonans and their rights.”
Under the State’s Consent Decree, Shirley Ann agrees to:
- Create Anti-Discrimination Policies that prohibit discrimination and detailed procedures for receiving and reviewing requests for reasonable accommodations;
- Train its personnel on state and federal fair housing laws, including prohibitions against disability discrimination;
- Submit to three years of monitoring by the Civil Rights Division to ensure compliance with the Consent Decree; and
- Pay the aggrieved parties $35,000 in compensatory damages.
This litigation was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Julie Blumenreich and Maura Hilser, with litigation support provided by Paralegals Frankie Hensley and Cari Shehorn. The investigation was conducted by former Compliance Officer Taylor Tschantz.
The mission of the Civil Rights Division of the Arizona Attorney General’s Office is to enforce civil rights laws, increase public awareness of civil rights, provide dispute resolution services, and offer community services throughout the State. If you believe you’ve been a victim of unlawful discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations, or voting, please contact our office at (602) 542-5263 or submit an intake questionnaire at www.azag.gov/complaints/civil-rights.