Sierra v. City of New York
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
579 F. Supp. 2d 543 (2008)
- Written by Darius Dehghan, JD
Facts
The City of New York (defendant) enacted an ordinance that prohibited families with children under the age of 16 from living in single-room-occupancy (SRO) units. An SRO unit was a single-room space that did not have both a private bathroom and a private kitchen. Thus, the occupants of SRO units used either shared bathrooms or shared kitchens, or both. Juana Sierra (plaintiff) and her two children were excluded from SRO units due to the ordinance. Sierra brought suit against the city, contending that the ordinance discriminated on the basis of familial status in violation of the Fair Housing Act (FHA). The FHA’s prohibition against familial-status discrimination was intended to protect families with minor children. At the trial before the district court, evidence was presented indicating that shared bathrooms and kitchens exposed children under 16 to greater health risks than private bathrooms and kitchens. Further, psychological research was presented demonstrating that living in single-room spaces deprived children under 16 of the privacy needed for healthy development. The district court took the matter under advisement.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Rakoff, J.)
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