Two men claim they were rendered homeless after being evicted from their Port Richmond apartment because they were in a same-sex relationship.
“John Doe” and “James Roe” filed suit last month in federal court alleging violations of their civil rights by their former landlord and his wife.
From February to July, the men lived in an apartment on the 3400 block of North Lee Street prior to being evicted due to their sexual orientation, according to their 27-page lawsuit.
Court records listed no attorney for the defendants. Because they could not be reached, PGN will refer to them as J.H. and his wife, C.
On Feb. 23, J.H. allegedly told Roe that Doe couldn’t live with him in the apartment because other tenants and their children might complain about hearing the men having sex, according to the suit.
The men claimed that before they vacated the premises in July, they were subjected to insults and slurs by J.H. and C., including “fucking fag” and “patos,” which is a Spanish slur for gay men.
“C. physically assaulted and attacked [Doe] by calling [Doe] a ‘fucking fag’ and slapping him in the face,” wrote Doe’s attorneys.
The plaintiffs’ utilities were shut off on two separate occasions even though J.H. didn’t obtain the permission of utility companies prior to doing so, according to the suit.
The men alleged that heterosexual families who resided in the building weren’t treated that way.
Doe and Roe are seeking an unspecified amount in compensatory and punitive damages, reasonable attorney’s fees and a requirement that the defendants adopt an LGBT-inclusive antibias policy, wrote their lawyers. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge C. Darnell Jones.
Justin F. Robinette, an attorney for the plaintiffs, had no comment for this story.