Russian family wins suit claiming landlord discriminated against them in favor of Ukrainians

A judge ruled in favor of a Russian family alleging they were charged higher rent than Ukrainian refugees in a downtown Palo Alto apartment building. The ruling overruled a motion to dismiss filed by the property owner in Santa Clara County Superior Court. The lawsuit, filed in March 2024, alleges discrimination based on national origin. The family lives in a one-bedroom apartment with their child at 345 Forest Ave. for $3,596 per month. The judge cited a 1985 Orange County case where a business practice was found to be sex-based discrimination. The apartment building is owned by William and Stephen Reller, who participated in a federal Uniting for Ukraine program that supported relocating Ukrainians with U.S. sponsors for two years.

"A judge has ruled in favor of a Russian family who said they're charged a higher rent than Ukrainian refugees in their downtown Palo Alto apartment building. Judge Daniel Nishigaya cited a case from 1985 in Orange County, where a man visited a car wash on "Ladies' Day" and asked to get the same discount offered to women. The Supreme Court found the car wash's business practices amounted to sex-based discrimination. The lawsuit over rents alleges discrimination based on national origin, Nishigaya said in his May 15 ruling."

"He overruled a motion from the property owner to dismiss the case form Santa Clara County Superior Court. The lawsuit was filed in March 2024 by residents Stuti Kochhar and Pavel Zheltov, who live in a one-bedroom apartment with their child at 345 Forest Ave. for $3,596 per month. Zheltov was born in Russia and immigrated to the United States in 2004. Kochhar was born in India, grew up England and immigrated to the United States in 2014, their suit said."

"The Staller Court Apartments are owned by developers William and Stephen Reller, who have an office on the first floor on Gilman Street. The Rellers allegedly started offering apartments to Ukrainian families at free or reduced rents in June 2022, the suit said. They participated in a federal program called Uniting for Ukraine that allowed Ukrainians with a sponsor in the United States to relocate for two years, supporting the Biden administration's goal of settling 100,000 refugees from the war with Russia."

Read at Padailypost