Section 8 wanna be tenant goes to high end NYC realtor co to find her housing, then sues because they didn’t

Well, if you want a used car, you don’t go to the Lamborghini lot.

Black woman sues NYC ritzy realtor Douglas Elliman and 35 of its agents ‘for failing to help her find low incoming housing,’ including one broker who sniffed ‘I only specialize in luxury real estate transactions’

A black woman has sued a leading real estate company and 35 of its realtors for discrimination after allegedly failing to help her find low income housing.

Shaniqua Newkirk filed the lawsuit in a New York City federal court last month against Douglas Elliman and its agents over claims they violated discrimination laws in the Fair Housing Act.

She sent emails to the luxury realtors in June 2021 requesting help to find Section 8 housing, which is a federal government voucher program that helps poor families, the elderly or the disabled afford housing in the private market.

But Newkirk claims the agents either failed to respond or did not provide adequate help.

She claims Douglas Elliman realtor Madeline Hult Elghanayan told her: ‘I only specialize in luxury real estate transactions’ while others did not know what a Section 8 housing voucher was.

Douglas Elliman strenuously denied the allegations in a statement that said: ‘We will be challenging the merits of these predatory and baseless claims.’

h/t south of eden