Attorney General Terry Goddard Agrees to Consent Decree with Le Mirage

(Phoenix, Ariz. – June 24, 2004)  The Attorney General’s Office has entered into a consent decree with LeMirage, an Arizona Limited partnership and LeMirage Investment Corporation for failing to design and construct 80 ground floor apartment units accessible for residents with mobility impairments as required by the Arizona Fair Housing Act, announced Attorney General Terry Goddard.

The Civil Rights Division found that among other things:

  • Most ground floor units in the complex did not have an accessible entryway
  • The pathways around the apartment complex were not accessible to persons with mobility impairments
  • The parking places in the complex were designed and built so that parked cars blocked accessible pathways from the parking lot to the apartments.

The settlement calls for LeMirage to provide 80 additional units of accessible apartments within the Tucson housing stock.  Additionally, the Civil Rights Division for the first time negotiated a civil penalty in a housing discrimination case through a consent decree.  The Civil Rights Division had previously entered into a separate consent decree with Ric Espiriti, the architect responsible for designing and overseeing construction of this property.

The consent decree with LeMirage provides for the following relief:

  • Payment of a civil penalty of $12,000 
  • Making the entry way of each of the 80 ground floor apartments in the complex accessible to persons with disabilities
  • Leveling and repaving the sidewalks at the complex to ensure that they are accessible to
  • persons with disabilities
  • Lowering the pool gate lock to comply with the Fair Housing Accessibility Guidelines
  • Bringing all mailboxes into compliance with the Fair Housing Accessibility Guidelines
  • Installing parking lot barriers so vehicles on the property will not obstruct walkways which are required to be accessible under the Fair Housing Accessibility Guidelines
  • Payment to the Division of $2,000 to monitor compliance with the retrofitting and other terms of the Decree
  • An injunction prohibiting LeMirage from discriminating against any individual in the sale or rental of a dwelling because of that individual’s physical or mental disability, including failure to design or construct covered multi-family dwellings in compliance with the Arizona Fair Housing Act
  • Payment to the Southern Arizona Housing Center of $6,000, as compensation for their costs and time spent litigating this case.

The Arizona Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, and physical and mental disability. Any person who believes that he/she has been discriminated against may file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Civil Rights Division.  For more information, please contact the Civil Rights Division at:

  • Tucson – 520-628-6500
  • Tucson TTY toll free – 877-881-7552
  • Tucson toll free – 877-491-5740
  • Phoenix – 602-542-5263
  • Phoenix TTY toll free – 877-624-8090
  • Phoenix toll free – 877-491-5742