PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The Arizona Attorney General’s Office announced a lawsuit on Monday against behavioral health facility operators that allegedly discriminated against a resident with HIV in Casa Grande.
Attorney General Kris Mayes said the lawsuit filed under the Arizona Fair Housing Act is against Olive Branch Assisted Living, LLC, Terra Medical LLC, Terra Medical of Arizona LLC, and their owner, Russell Appleton.
The facilities being sued allegedly discriminated against a person who tried to receive care. After being diagnosed with HIV while living at one of the facilities, the individual was removed due to the disease, Mayes’ office said.
The lawsuit also says that the operators told other people at the facilities about the resident’s HIV diagnosis. When the resident filed a complaint, the defendants allegedly retaliated and threatened her with a countersuit. They went on to file the suit, but it was later dismissed.
“Discrimination against people with HIV is an ugly relic of the past, and my office is committed to preventing and prosecuting every form of disability discrimination,” said Attorney General Mayes. “Disability discrimination has no place in Arizona, whether it’s at the workplace, in a person’s housing, or receiving medical care.”
The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination based on disabilities and any actions that could coerce, intimidate or interfere with someone’s fair housing rights.
Attorney General Mayes urges anyone who believes they have experienced housing discrimination to file a complaint with the Civil Rights Division of the Attorney General’s Office. You can also call the Attorney General’s Office in Phoenix at (602) 542-5263 or in Tucson at (520) 628-6500.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2024 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.