FHJC Files New Disability Discrimination Complaint In Federal Court

 The Fair Housing Justice Center (FHJC) announced today it has filed a new disability discrimination complaint alleging inaccessible design and construction at three newly constructed NYC luxury apartment buildings: The Hill in Jamaica, Queens; Parluxe in Fresh Meadows, Queens; and 1661M located in Harlem. Together the buildings comprise 153 apartments.

 The named Defendants are Owner/developers A&R Properties Group LLC; 1661 Madison Holdings LLC; QOF Operating LLC; 1661 MR Associates LLC; 157-01 72nd Avenue LLC; Joshua Asherian; Jacqueline Rehanian; and Shokrollah Rehanian; architecture firm ARC Architecture + Design Studio, PLLC; and architect Robert Bianchini.

The complaint centers on an undercover investigation conducted by the FHJC in 2024. According to the complaint, FHJC testers who visited the buildings discovered “a litany of fair housing violations,” including

• kitchens and doorways that are too narrow
• doorway thresholds that are raised too high
• light switches, outlets, thermostats, mailboxes, and laundry machines that are too high to reach

Together these flaws render bathrooms, kitchens, balconies, amenities, common areas, and entire apartments inaccessible to individuals with disabilities, which violates the federal Fair Housing Act, the New York State Human Rights Law, and the New York City Human Rights Law, the complaint alleges.

 Notably, the Parluxe building is subject to heightened accessibility requirements under a regulatory agreement with the City. As part of an agreement where Defendants received significant property tax benefits, they promised to set aside 24 of the building’s 94 units for an increased level of accessibility. Yet, according to the complaint, the Parluxe superintendent effectively admitted to FHJC testers that over 90% of the units in the building do not, in fact, meet this heightened accessibility standard.

The complaint seeks: monetary damages along with injunctive relief to end the discrimination; retrofits to correct the inaccessible features; fair housing training for defendants and their agents and employees; and other remedial action to ensure future compliance with fair housing accessibility requirements. It was filed in the Southern District of New York on March 5, 2026 and can be read in full HERE.

“Accessibility-based tax exemptions are not just a box for developers to check in order to save money,” said FHJC Legal Director David Berman. “They are hard and fast requirements meant to give people with disabilities full use of their homes. By blatantly disregarding these requirements, Defendants are causing real harm to New Yorkers with disabilities and ripping off NYC taxpayers for millions of dollars.”

“When developers, owners, and architects – like the Defendants – continue to willfully disregard their legal obligations, New Yorkers with disabilities are denied equal housing opportunities,” said attorney Adam Nasser. “This lawsuit sends a clear message to those actors: fix your violations and stop building inaccessible housing.”

The FHJC is represented by Mr. Nasser and Samuel Shapiro with the law firm Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP.

The mission of the FHJC, a nonprofit civil rights organization, is to eliminate housing discrimination, promote policies and programs that foster open, accessible, and inclusive communities, and strengthen enforcement of fair housing laws in the New York City region.