FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          CR
TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 1996                          (202) 616-2765
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888


     MOBILE HOME PARK OWNERS TO PAY MORE THAN $2 MILLION FOR
     ALLEGEDLY DISCRIMINATING AGAINST FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN


     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In the largest federal settlement in a
case alleging housing discrimination against families with
children, the owners of seven mobile home parks in California and
Washington have agreed to pay more than $2 million in damages.   
     The settlement, approved late yesterday by the U.S. District
Court in Los Angeles, resolves a Justice Department suit against
several California partnerships that allegedly discouraged families
from living in their parks or restricted their activities.
     "Today's settlement is a victory for all families with
children, particularly those of modest income who benefit most from
the availability of mobile homes," said Assistant Attorney General
for Civil Rights Deval L. Patrick.  "It signals the Civil Rights
Division's continued commitment to defend the rights of America's
families to live in the homes of their choice."
     In the suit filed in 1992, the Justice Department claimed that
the owners violated the federal Fair Housing Act by discouraging
families with children during the application process from living
in the park.  The suit, which a group of private plaintiffs later
joined, also alleged that the owners enforced discriminatory rules
against the families, such as restricting the use of the pools and
other facilities to two hours per day.  
     Patrick noted that under the settlement, families with
children found to have been deterred from renting spaces or who
suffered discriminatory treatment will share in an approximately
$2.2 million fund.  Two named representatives of the class and
three identified aggrieved persons will share $240,000.  All other
identified families will receive up to $5,000 each unless they can
prove additional damages.
     Of the fund, $470,000 will cover fees of class action
attorneys and another $16,000 will cover the court-related costs. 
The remainder will go to local fair housing groups.   The
settlement also requires the owners to:
    hire a fair housing organization to conduct testing of the
     mobile home parks;

    implement a fair housing training program; 

    notify the public that they welcome families with children,
     and;

    submit periodic compliance reports.

     The properties involved in the settlement are:  Sierra Vista
Mobile Estates in Hanford, CA; Plantation Mobile Estates in
Healdsburg, CA; Eastridge Mobile Estates in San Jose, CA; Plaza
Mobile Estates in Santa Ana, CA; Laurel Canyon Mobile Estates in
Sun Valley, CA; Rancho Fiesta Mobile Estates in Visalia, CA; and
Camelot Mobile Estates in Bremerton, Washington.
     Patrick also praised counsel for the private plaintiffs whose
assistance and cooperation he characterized as essential to the
settlement.
     The Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in
housing based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin,
was amended by Congress in 1988 to prohibit discrimination against
the handicapped and families with children as well.
     Families with children who resided, or were deterred from
applying for residence, at any time since March 1989 in any of the
properties listed above should call the law firm of Traber,
Voorhees & Olguin at (818) 585-9611 or the Housing and Civil
Enforcement Section of the Department of Justice at (202) 514-4713. 
Individuals who believe they may have been victims of housing
discrimination anywhere else in the United States should call
either the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section of the Department
of Justice at (202) 514-4713 or the Department of Housing and Urban
Development's Fair Housing Hotline at 1-800-669-9777.
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