Second Clover alum sued, alleging racism

[ad_1]

A second former Clover Group employee has filed a federal lawsuit in Buffalo that essentially repeats allegations first made in litigation filed last month: that the Lancaster-based real estate development company and its executives refuse to build seniors’ housing in neighborhoods with large black populations.

R. Shane Forrest, former director of development for Clover in North Carolina, filed the second lawsuit.

The Clover Defendant Entities’ unwritten site selection criteria are unlawful and rely on the percentage of black people living both within a three-mile radius and within a five-mile radius of a proposed site to determine whether the site is suitable for purposes of the Clover entities, the retrial charges. Officers and employees of the Clover defendant entities referred to the percentage of black people living within a three-mile radius and a five-mile radius of a proposed site as the Canadian factor.

People also read…

That’s exactly what Peter C. Rizzo, a former director of development for Clover in Buffalo, charged in his lawsuit. But the Rizzos case offers something Forrests doesn’t: quotes from recordings of Clover executives discussing the Canadian factor.

Forrests’ lawsuit said he was never told an acceptable black population percentage of a potential Clover development site, but instead was instructed to avoid black areas altogether.

Evidence of Clovers’ racist policies can be found in his track record, the new trial also charges. He notes that the average black population within a three-mile radius of senior properties at the Clovers 48 market rate is just 6.77%, less than half the black population rate nationwide. national.

The lawsuit also says that in a meeting last June, Clover Vice Chairman Richard Greenspan said the company chose not to develop properties in Maryland because its Canadian population is too high.

And on another occasion, according to the lawsuit, Clover executive vice president Emily Brady said the black community was struggling to pay rent.

Clover fired Forrest last December, accusing it at the time of failing to find suitable development sites for the company.

In a statement, Clover said: Like Peter Rizzo, Shane Forrest is an angry and disgruntled former employee who is making baseless, baseless and misleading allegations against Clover.

Clover also accused Forrest, Rizzo and others of orchestrating an attempt to collect money from Clover for baseless claims.

Stating that the company will vigorously defend itself in court, Clover added: In more than 30 years in business, Clover has maintained strict policies against racial discrimination. Discrimination has never been tolerated by our company and never will be.

But that’s not how Forrest sees it. The lawsuit says Forrest raised concerns about what he viewed as racist Clovers policies with company executives and then repeatedly refused to comply with those policies.

In the lawsuit, Forrest called his firing a blatant and unlawful act of retaliation.

Accusing the company of violating the federal Fair Housing Act as well as the New York State Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing, Forrest asked the court to declare that Clover violated these laws.

Forrest is also seeking at least $5 million in damages for back wages and initial pay, lost benefits, pain and suffering.

The lawsuit describes Forrest as a 56-year-old resident of Greensboro, North Carolina who has worked in the real estate industry for 28 years. Like Rizzo, Forrest is represented by local attorney Nate McMurray, a former Democratic congressional candidate and Erie County executive.

Rizzos’ lawsuit created a swift backlash against Michael L. Joseph, owner and president of Clovers. Although none of the lawsuits accuse Joseph of personally adopting racist policies, he resigned as chairman of the board of the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center amid the political furor.

Joseph is a longtime Democratic donor who, along with his wife, Roberta, and his company, has given $380,410 to New York state and local politicians since 2000.

The Joseph controversy continued on Friday, with Ellicott District Council candidate Matt Dearing demanding that the Josephs be removed from the Buffalo AKG Art Museum’s board of trustees.

It is deeply concerning that people charged with leading such an esteemed institution are tied to practices that perpetuate systemic racism, Dearing said. I am also shocked that members of my own political party have stood up for Michael Joseph, apparently because they benefited from his ill-gotten gains.

Buffalo News: Hello, Buffalo

The smart way to start your day. We review all the news to give you a concise and informative overview of the main headlines and stories to read each day of the week.

[ad_2]