A housing court judge has ordered the owner of Manchester condo to pay $109,000 for illegally refusing to rent his unit to a woman armed with a state housing voucher, authorities say.
Connecticut Housing Court Judge Vernon Oliver ruled that landlord Kenneth Burkamp’s actions against the prospective tenant were illegal.
According to a recitation from court papers, Burkamp cited his reluctance to deal with the state in refusing to rent the unit to the plaintiff. During trial, Burkamp was “far from contrite,” papers said.
The nonprofit Connecticut Fair Housing Center and Brian R. Smith and Evan J. Seeman, attorneys from Hartford law firm Robinson & Cole, represented the plaintiff, who is described as a domestic violence survivor.
The court ruling handed down in December included unspecified compensatory damages and attorneys’ fees, authorities said.
The award also includes a civil penalty against Burkamp for willful conduct and is designed to deter other landlords from violating the fair housing laws, they said.
Burkamp, who also is a Manchester photographer, said Tuesday the five-year-old case “was a complete ripoff” and is under appeal.
Burkamp said the plaintiff got $10,000, another $10,000 went to the state, and the rest was attorneys’ fees.
