Monday, February 7, 2011

The Dakato Board Rejects Hispanic Antonio Banderas

1st NW Quadrant: The Approval Matrix

From ABA Journal

A lawsuit filed against the co-op board of the famous Dakota apartment building claims racial discrimination against minority celebrities identified in the press as singer Roberta Flack and Antonio Banderas.

The suit was filed by former board president Alphonse Fletcher Jr., a black Wall Street investor who wasn’t allowed to buy an adjacent unit for $5.7 million to combine with his present 2,600-square-foot apartment, according to the New York Times and Reuters.

The suit says board members turned down a Hispanic applicant after joking he wanted the first-floor unit so he could more easily buy drugs on the street.

According to the Times, the “timing and circumstances” suggest the applicant was Antonio Banderas.

The Dakota issued a statement calling the allegations untrue and “outrageous” and saying Fletcher’s application was denied based on financial considerations.




1 comment:

JDU said...

This is a very interesting case, and it goes to show that housing discrimination can happen to anyone, regardless of class.