Housing bias case settlement

A millionaire real estate tycoon who recently pledged

$1 million to Hofstra University only to find himself sued by Hofstra Law

School's housing rights clinic has settled a dispute with Latino tenants in

Farmingdale, his attorney and others said yesterday.

Mark Broxmeyer, an owner of Fairfield Properties, who until last month was

also a trustee at Hofstra, has agreed to provide seven families still remaining

at 150 Secatogue Ave. with cash or guaranteed affordable housing for several

years. The deal will cost the company at least $110,000, said Ami Lipman, a law

student at the clinic.

In exchange, Fairfield, a property management company, will be dropped from

a federal discrimination lawsuit the law clinic filed against Farmingdale

Village and the previous owner of the building, said Hofstra law professor

Stefan Krieger, who filed the suit.

"This is a victory and shows that just because you are low-income or a

minority does not mean you can't fight a person with means," said Cristina Ruiz

Diaz of the Casa Comunal, a local immigrant advocate group that has helped the

tenants.

Gary C. Hisiger, an attorney representing Fairfield, said the company was

"pleased" with the settlement.

Six of the families accepted a one-time payment of $16,500 each. One

accepted guaranteed affordable housing at another Fairfield property in

Farmingdale for at least three years and a $7,500 payment to help defray

increased rent. The family also has the right to return to 150 Secatogue in 12

to 18 months, when renovations are complete, Krieger said.

Fairfield bought the 54-unit apartment building for $4.5 million in July.

The building served as the heart of Farmingdale's "Little Latin America" and

had been the focus of a battle between the previous owner, the village and the

tenants for several years.

Hofstra's law clinic filed a federal discrimination lawsuit in May charging

that the village was engaged in a campaign to drive Latinos out of town in

part by encouraging the sale of the building and eviction of its tenants.

Village officials denied it, and said they merely wanted to spruce up a

dilapidated building.

The conflict raised questions about whether Broxmeyer, who is also an

alumnus of Hofstra, would withdraw his $1 million pledge to create a visiting

chair in national security studies. Broxmeyer's office referred questions to

Hisiger, who declined to comment.

Hofstra officials said yesterday that as far as they know Broxmeyer's

pledge is still good.

Krieger said he was pleased with the settlement but he will continue with

the court case to pressure the village to help create "integrated, affordable

housing."

One tenant, Ana Maria Mora Gomez, said, "I hope Fairfield understands now

that you can't treat certain people differently."