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A landlord company has agreed to pay $12,000 to a survivor of domestic abuse and improve its policies addressing domestic violence among tenants, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office announced Thursday.
According to the announcement, an investigation found that a survivor contacted her leasing office in the summer of 2022 after being physically abused by her co-tenant.
Employees of TRI-TWG Lakewoods Holdings LLC are alleged to have given the tenant erroneous information about her ability to terminate her lease or exclude the abuser from the unit.
The employees allegedly told her she would need to pay an early termination fee or qualify for an apartment with her own income in order for them to assist her.
The survivor then experienced more alleged abuse over the ensuing months.
The landlord company entered into an assurance of voluntarily compliance that will require it to:
- Pay restitution totaling $12,000.
- Make “affirmative changes” to polices and procedures related to domestic violence incidents.
- Conduct at least two hours of training for consumer-facing leasing staff on domestic violence, including protections afford by Indiana Code § 32-1-9.
- Remit $2,500 to reimburse the office for the costs of the investigation.
The agreement was filed in the Marion Superior Court on Wednesday as In Re: TRI-TWG Lakewoods Holdings, LLC, 49D11-2310-MI-039929.
According to court documents, TRI-TWG Lakewoods Holdings LLC is a foreign limited liability company formed in Indiana with a principal office in Chicago.
“Our team works to combat domestic violence at every opportunity,” Rokita said in a statement. “We aim to involve all Hoosiers in efforts to assist survivors and bring perpetrators to justice. Landlords, for their part, certainly need to be part of the solution.”
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