Attorney General Terry Goddard settles discrimination complaint with Ridgewood Apartments

(Phoenix, Ariz. – June 10, 2004)  The Attorney Generals Office has entered into a Consent Decree with Ridgewood Apartments, LLC, stemming from a complaint alleging a violation of the Arizona Fair Housing Act, announced Attorney General Terry Goddard.

Ridgewood Apartments is a housing provider in Tucson, and the complaint filed with the Civil Rights Division accused the defendants of directing racial comments to the children of two African-American families who resided at the complex, and then terminating their leases in retaliation for the families’ complaints of discrimination.  The complaint was settled after a significant amount of discovery had been completed.

The Decree provides the following relief for the State of Arizona:

  • Fair Housing training to be concluded within the next 90 days
  • Establishment and publication of written Fair Housing policies and procedures within the next 60 days
  • An injunction prohibiting Ridgewood Apartments from discriminating against any individual in the sale or rental of a dwelling because of that individual’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status or disability;
  • A stipulated penalty, with graduated payments depending upon the number of violations ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 in the event Ridgewood Apartments engages in additional violations of the Arizona Fair Housing Act within two years following entry of the Consent Decree.

Ridgewood Apartments has also entered into a separate, private settlement agreement with the two families who submitted the complaints.

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