A Black tenant has filed a lawsuit against the Auburn Housing Authority and two employees for allegedly discriminating against her and making racist comments last year.
The Maine Human Rights Commission found earlier this year that the authority discriminated against Dominique Deschaine when employees told her to shut up and used a racist phrase when she sought assistance with water and mold issues in her apartment, managed by the housing authority.
An attorney for Deschaine said after that ruling, the two sides were unable to resolve the case through conciliation. And in a new lawsuit, she and her family allege several other charges, including that their apartment was uninhabitable, forcing them to move to a hotel for several months.
The lawsuit also says that the employees’ offensive remarks, as well as the housing authority’s failure to respond and properly train and supervise the employees, created a hostile housing environment because of the family’s race.
A lawyer representing the Auburn Housing Authority didn’t immediately return a request for comment, but told the Human Rights Commission earlier this year that the incident didn’t rise to a level of discrimination.
This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
