An Agent’s Alleged Racist Text Shatters a Couple’s Dream Home

Lisa Renee Olaso thought she was one step closer to starting a new chapter in New York. She and her fiancée, Cyril Christopher, were moving from Delaware after Olaso landed a new job, and the couple was looking for a place to call home. But now, they’ve filed a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination against a prominent New York realtor.

The couple had arranged to see a three-bedroom apartment in Flushing, Queens, in June, according to their lawsuit. But before they could even step inside, Olaso received a message that appeared to have been meant for the property owner.

Its words were blunt: “Ugh, they are Black.”

The documents say that message came from real estate broker Helen Tzelios of Douglas Elliman Realty and referred to Olaso and Christopher. What should have been a routine step in finding a home suddenly became something far more painful. Olaso was stunned, and the couple decided to leave.

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Their lawsuit, filed in Queens State Court, names Tzelios, Douglas Elliman Realty and property owners as defendants. It alleges housing discrimination under the federal Fair Housing Act and New York City human rights law, which prohibit discrimination based on race. {snip}

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