Two African-American adults are suing a home building company and one of its representatives, alleging racial discrimination.
Jonathan Langley and Sophia Adams of Philadelphia filed a lawsuit Aug. 19 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Toll Brothers Inc. and Sheree Elgart of Horsham, alleging violation of the Federal Fair Housing Act.
According to the complaint, between July and October 2014, the plaintiffs attended two open houses at 1 Lister Road, Newtown Square, a model home designed by Toll Brothers.
The suit states on both occasions Langley was approached and questioned by Elgart about why he was attending while Caucasian individuals at the open house weren't. The second time the plaintiffs went to the open house they were accused of stealing and told that house wasn't a supermarket after they took complimentary water bottles and cans of ice tea from the kitchen.
The plaintiffs seek more than $75,000 damages, including compensatory, statutory, and punitive damages, attorney fees and costs, and other relief deemed appropriate by the court. They are represented by attorneys Matthew B. Weisberg of Weisberg Law in Morton in Philadelphia.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania case number 2:15-cv-04720-PBT.