Avalon Bay Communities – which owns 26 properties in the state, including four in Central Massachusetts – has agreed to pay $6,500 to resolve charges of discrimination, according to state Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office.
Avalon Bay is accused of discriminating against a tenant who had two children. According to a press release from the AG, a neighbor made “unreasonable and unsubstantiated complaints” about noise coming from the tenant and her two children. The AG’s office found that Avalon Bay staff sought eviction of the tenant in question without properly investigating the claims.
A Suffolk Superior Court judge approved a consent judgment, which requires Avalon to pay $6,500 to the mother and the state. It also requires the company to institute reforms to ensure it is complying with state and federal anti-discrimination laws.
Avalon Bay owns apartment complexes in Acton, Marlborough, Northborough and Shrewsbury.
