FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 20, 2025
Contact: cohenmilstein@berlinrosen.com
Civil Rights Group ERC Alleges Luxury D.C. Apartments Discriminated Against Applicants with Housing Vouchers, Past Criminal History, Evictions
In-depth investigations reveal apartments in Navy Yard, Shaw, and NoMa allegedly discriminated against potential renters
Washington, D.C. – The Equal Rights Center (ERC), the premier fair housing organization representing the greater Washington, D.C. region, today filed a lawsuit in D.C. Superior Court against JAG Management Company (JAG) and Jefferson Apartment Group, the companies behind several luxury residential properties across the District. The lawsuit alleges that the Defendants engage in widespread discriminatory housing practices that unlawfully exclude applicants with housing vouchers and implemented tenant screening criteria that violate D.C. housing, consumer protection, and civil rights laws.
The complaint alleges violations at four JAG-managed properties in or near D.C.’s Shaw, NoMa, and Navy Yard neighborhoods: J. Coopers Row, Jefferson MarketPlace, J Linea, and Pinnacle. Investigations conducted by the ERC found that JAG imposes numerous unlawful requirements on prospective renters, including minimum income requirements for voucher holders and overly broad eviction records and criminal background screenings.
“Housing discrimination isn’t always blatant—it’s often hidden and systematized in unfair tenant screening policies—but the harm it causes is clear,” said Kate Scott, Executive Director of the Equal Rights Center. “Our investigation shows that renters with vouchers, outdated evictions, and irrelevant criminal records are being discriminated against at buildings in D.C.’s fastest-growing neighborhoods. That’s unacceptable, and we’re taking action.”
Under D.C. law, landlords are prohibited from denying housing to individuals based on source of income—including housing vouchers—and must adhere to strict limits when considering eviction and criminal records in tenant screenings. Yet, as the complaint details, across three JAG properties, ERC testing revealed that voucher holders are subject to minimum income requirements, which is prohibited by the D.C. Human Rights Act. At the fourth property, an ERC tester was told outright that vouchers were not accepted.
The Housing Choice Voucher Program, a federally funded rental subsidy program, currently supports over 11,000 low-income D.C. families. Designed to provide housing access in safe, high-opportunity neighborhoods, the program is undermined when landlords illegally reject applicants simply because of how they pay rent.
The ERC also uncovered illegal criminal background and eviction record screening practices. Testing revealed that multiple JAG properties inquire about any evictions, regardless of how long ago they were resolved, in clear violation of the D.C. Human Rights Act and the Rental Housing Act. One JAG property applied a blanket ban on applicants with criminal records, regardless of context or the amount of time elapsed, in direct defiance of the District’s Fair Criminal Record Screening for Housing Act.
“The law is clear: you cannot require a voucher holder to prove income beyond what’s legally required, and you cannot disqualify people based on sealed evictions or irrelevant criminal records,” said Brian Corman, Partner at Cohen Milstein. “These are not just suggestions; they are civil rights protections, meant to address persistent and pervasive discrimination in the District, and this lawsuit demands these laws be enforced.”
“Screening practices that exclude voucher holders and people with certain criminal histories function as modern-day redlining,” said Mirela Missova, Supervising Counsel at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee. “They reinforce segregation, deepen inequality, and block families from accessing opportunity. We’re proud to stand with the ERC in this fight.”
The ERC is represented by Brian Corman of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, and Ryan Downer, Mirela Missova, and Rebecca Guterman of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee.
The case name is Equal Rights Center v. Jefferson Apartment Group, et al., Superior Court of the District of Columbia. ERC brings these claims under the D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act, which incorporates the requirements of the D.C. Human Rights Act, D.C. Rental Housing Act, D.C. Fair Criminal Record Screening for Housing Act, and the D.C. Security Deposit Act.
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Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC, a premier U.S. plaintiffs’ law firm, with over 100 attorneys across eight offices, champions the causes of real people—workers, consumers, small business owners, investors, and whistleblowers—working to deliver corporate reforms and fair markets for the common good. We have litigated landmark civil rights and employment disputes before the highest courts in the nation and continue to actively shape civil rights and employment law in the United States. For more information visit https://www.cohenmilstein.com
About Equal Rights Center
The ERC is a civil rights organization that identifies and seeks to eliminate unlawful and unfair discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations in its home community of Greater Washington D.C. and nationwide. The ERC’s core strategy for identifying unlawful and unfair discrimination is civil rights testing. When the ERC identifies discrimination, it seeks to eliminate it through the use of testing data to educate the public and business community, support policy advocacy, conduct compliance testing and training, and, if necessary, take enforcement action. For more information, please visit https://www.equalrightscenter.org
About Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs
The Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs partners with community members and organizations on scores of cases to combat discrimination in housing, employment, education, immigration, criminal justice reform, and public accommodations based on race, gender, disability, family size, history of criminal conviction, and more. For over 50 years, the Committee has delivered a steady stream of civil rights victories to advance justice in the District and beyond. For more information, please visit https://www.washlaw.org
