Fred v. Kokinokos

Decision Date03 August 1972
Docket NumberCiv. A. No. 72 C 288.
CitationFred v. Kokinokos, 347 F.Supp. 942 (E.D. N.Y. 1972)
PartiesJuan FRED and Petra Fred, Plaintiffs, v. George KOKINOKOS and Jane Kokinokos, Defendants.
CourtU.S. District Court — Eastern District of New York

Alexander A. Kolben, New York City, for plaintiffs.

Fred Zabriskie, New Rochelle, N. Y., for defendants.

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION

NEAHER, District Judge.

This is an action brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1982and42 U.S.C. § 3604(b) seeking to recover $2000 compensatory and $2000 punitive damages for an alleged act of racial discrimination arising out of defendants' refusal to lease an apartment in their two-family home on terms demanded by plaintiffs.Jurisdiction is based on 28 U.S.C. § 1343(4)and42U.S.C. § 3612.The case was tried upon the facts without a jury.For the reasons given below the plaintiffs' claim for relief is denied and the action is dismissed.

Defendants, George and Jane Kokinokos, are the owners of a two-family dwelling located at 2358 East 24th Street, Brooklyn, New York.The dwelling consists of nine rooms, three of which, on the first floor, are occupied by defendants as their home.The remaining rooms, on the second floor, form a separate apartment consisting of a living room, dining room, three bedrooms and kitchen.Defendants have owned the house for approximately four years and have rented the upstairs apartment to tenants since November 1967.Mr. Kokinokos testified that none of the prior tenants held possession under a written lease (Tr. 63).1

In December 1971 the apartment became vacant and Kokinokos listed it for rent with Exclusive Buys, Inc., a real estate agency.Miss La Grua, an employee of the agency, testified that Kokinokos set rent at $225 per month, the apartment to be available on January 1, 1972.Kokinokos told her he would accept a family with children, ". . . preferably older children, possibly no more than maybe one or two. . ."(Tr. 92).Mr. Kokinokos also testified to this limitation at trial (Tr. 63).At no time was anything said concerning a lease, written or otherwise.

PlaintiffJuan Fred testified he went to Exclusive Buys, Inc. on February 3, 1972 and signed a commission agreement obligating him to pay a fee contingent upon the agency securing an apartment suitable for his family.He told the renting agent his family consisted of himself, his wife and two children, ages four and six.He was given the address of the Kokinokos residence and was told the apartment would be leased on a two-year basis.He testified there was no mention that the lease would be written.

Mr. Fred immediately went to the Kokinokos home, was shown the apartment by Mrs. Kokinokos, and said he would return shortly with his wife.This he did.While exhibiting the apartment to the Freds, Mrs. Kokinokos asked Mr. Fred if he spoke any language other than English.He said he spoke Puerto Rican.Mrs. Kokinokos asked him to return the next day to see her husband and he agreed to do so.

Fred returned the following day and spoke to Kokinokos, who indicated in the course of their conversation that he did not want to rent to blacks due to a racial incident which had occurred in the neighborhood.Fred assured him he was Puerto Rican and came from a good "neighborhood, and . . . a good family"(Tr. 9).It is not disputed that Kokinokos then told him he could "have the apartment and move in . . ."(Tr. 9) at any time.Fred also testified Kokinokos agreed to let the apartment for two years but reserved the right to evict him at any time for "not conducting himself properly or having overnight affairs"(Tr. 29).Despite the lack of assurance of a written lease, Fred agreed to take the apartment and gave Kokinokos a check for $225.At this time Fred told Kokinokos he had two children (Tr. 44).Finally they agreed that the Freds might paint the apartment prior to moving in.

Fred purchased $74.87 in paint supplies and returned to his newly let apartment on Sunday, February 6.He arrived at 8:30 a. m. and painted alone until 1:00 p. m. He was then joined by his brother who assisted him for the remainder of the day.At seven in the evening Mrs. Kokinokos arrived and complimented Fred on his excellent work.Indeed he testified she suggested she would like to employ him to paint her apartment.

Mrs. Kokinokos now suggested that he paint one child's bedroom blue and the other pink.Fred informed her that since his children were quite young he saw no need for separate bedrooms and was saving one of the rooms for overnight guests.Mrs. Kokinokos questioned him about this and Fred told her a relative would be staying there "as many nights as she wanted to . . ."(Tr. 39).Mrs. Kokinokos then left.Subsequently Fred told the renting agent, Miss La Grua, that the child was an orphan.He also testified that the child was a cousin who "was very depressed at the time of her mother's death and . . . was put in an orphanage"(Tr. 51).

On Monday Fred returned to finish painting the apartment.Mrs. Kokinokos told him her husband was unwilling to lease the apartment to him if there were to be more than two children staying at the apartment.Fred testified he told her he did not wish to pursue the conversation and left.

Mrs. Kokinokos called Fred the following day.Plaintiff, deeply angered, told her to speak to his lawyer.Kokinokos contacted Fred on Wednesday and offered him the apartment upon the condition that Fred, his wife and two children be the only occupants.Fred declined and Kokinokos returned his deposit.

Plaintiffs now allege that defendants have refused to rent the apartment to them because of plaintiffs' "race and national origin"(Compl., par. 15).The gravamen of their claim is that they were denied the apartment because they are Puerto Rican.As such they believe they have been deprived of ". . . the same right . . . as is enjoyed by white citizens . . . to inherit, purchase, lease, sell, hold, and convey...

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6 cases
  • Morgan v. Parcener's Ltd.
    • United States
    • U.S. District Court — Western District of Oklahoma
    • May 11, 1978
    ...race. See Johnson v. Albritton, 424 F.Supp. 456 (M.D.La. 1977); Lamb v. Sallee, 417 F.Supp. 282 (E.D.Ky.1976); Fred v. Kokinokos, 347 F.Supp. 942 (E.D.N.Y.1972); Bush v. Kaim, 297 F.Supp. 151 (N.D.Ohio 1969); see also Tatum v. Myrick, In the instant case, Plaintiffs have alleged in their Co......
  • Lamb v. Sallee
    • United States
    • U.S. District Court — Eastern District of Kentucky
    • July 6, 1976
    ...reason for the refusal of the defendant to rent the property to the plaintiff other than the plaintiff's race. See also Fred v. Kokinokos, 347 F.Supp. 942 (E.D.N.Y.1972). The evidence in this case indicates that the house was placed for rental on the open market by the defendant owners. Alt......
  • Johnson v. Zaremba
    • United States
    • U.S. District Court — Northern District of Illinois
    • August 23, 1973
    ...222, 223 (N. D.Ill.1972); Young v. AAA Realty Co. of Greensboro, Inc., 350 F.Supp. 1382, 1387 (M.D.N.C.1972); Fred v. Kokinokos, 347 F.Supp. 942, 944 (E.D.N.Y. 1972); Crim v. Glover, 338 F.Supp. 823, 826 (S.D.Ohio 1972); Brown v. Ballas, 331 F.Supp. 1033, 1037 (N.D.Texas 1971); McLaurin v. ......
  • Madison v. Jeffers
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — Fourth Circuit
    • March 20, 1974
    .... . ." Pughsley v. 3750 Lake Shore Drive Cooperative Building, 463 F.2d 1055, 1056 (7th Cir. 1972). See also Fred v. Kokinokos, 347 F.Supp. 942, 944 (E.D.N.Y.1972); Bush v. Kaim, 297 F.Supp. 151, 162 (N. D.Ohio 1969). Since there is substantial evidence supporting the district court's findi......
  • Get Started for Free

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