Judge rules against woman who filed $7 million discrimination lawsuit against Boca HOA

Article Courtesy of  The Palm Beach Post

By Mike Diamond   

Published June 7, 2021

  

BOCA RATON — A federal judge has ruled against a woman who alleged that Seven Bridges discriminated against her because she was a Christian living in a predominantly Jewish community.
   

The lawsuit sought $7 million from the HOA for alleged violations of the Fair Housing Act, claiming the HOA has a responsibility to address discriminatory behavior if it is made aware of it.

 

At issue was whether the HOA did anything to control discriminatory conduct against the Christian woman who allegedly was called “a stupid Shiksa" (a disparaging term to describe a non-Jewish woman) and was told to move out of Seven Bridges because it is 80% Jewish.

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Judge Donald Middlebrooks concluded there was not enough evidence to bring the case to a jury, noting that the alleged conduct, while reprehensible and offensive, was “not so pervasive that it created a hostile housing environment.” He ruled that alleging religious discrimination must involve more than two incidents of offensive conduct.

“I conclude as a matter of law that that no reasonable jury could find a hostile housing environment on this record,” Middlebrooks said. The HOA called on the judge to dismiss the case as part of a summary judgment motion.


Seven Bridges dispute escalated over Facebook posts

The case revolves around a bitter feud between two women at Seven Bridges, Deborah LaGrasso and Rachel Tannenholz. LaGrasso is Christian; Tannenholz is Jewish. Middlebrooks questioned the conduct of both women.

A federal judge has ruled against Deborah LaGrasso, who alleged that Seven Bridges discriminated against her because she was a Christian living in a predominantly Jewish community. The lawsuit stems from an argument and subsequent fight her children were involved in with residents on the tennis courts at Seven Bridges.


 

hey became involved in a heated dispute over an anonymous Facebook page that LaGrasso created a year ago. LaGrasso's posts criticized the clubhouse restaurant, claiming that pest feces and insects were in the food. Board members were also criticized and some of the posts were deemed to be antisemitic. In response, the HOA imposed a $5,000 fine on LaGrasso and suspended her for 330 days from using the pool, clubhouse and tennis courts.

Tannenholz responded to one of LaGrasso posts by urging her to move if she was so unhappy. Tannenholz advised her to “move to a Klan neighborhood … a white supremacist area.”

LaGrasso called Tannenholz the "Seven Bridges community stripper,” adding, “OH MY those platform shoes are horrendous.. must be so hard to type and dance on the pole at the same time.!!! [sic]"

When Tannenholz learned that the anonymous Facebook page was administered by LaGrasso, she went to LaGrasso’s home in an effort to have her remove the “humiliating post,” according to court documents.

She rang the doorbell repeatedly, banged on the front door and yelled for LaGrasso to come outside. LaGrasso allegedly threatened to shoot Tannenholz if she did not leave. Sheriff’s deputies threatened to file a trespassing complaint against Tannenholz if she came back to the property.

Middlebrooks said Tannenholz's conduct was tempered by LaGrasso publicly accusing her of being the "community stripper," noting: “While Tannenholz's conduct and language were by no means justified, it bears noting that such conduct did not rise out of thin air but instead was the product of a relationship infused with considerable animosity for reasons that appear to have had nothing to do with religion.”

Plans for a rehearing?

The case may be far from over. LaGrasso’s lawyer, Scott Weires, said he plans on asking for a rehearing and if that fails, he will appeal the judge’s ruling.

“Dismissing months of harassment and instead focusing on just two instances that occurred over several days misses the point, and cuts against well-established legal precedent. Courts should not infer a proper purpose where, as in this case, an offending resident mocks the plaintiff at association meetings, rallies others on social media to torment the plaintiff, goes to the home of the plaintiff to taunt the family, and continues to loiter on their cul-de-sac in what is a large neighborhood of 700 homes. Inferences are for juries and a jury should be allowed to infer that the 'totality of the circumstances' created a hostile housing environment.”

Efforts to obtain comment from the lawyer for the HOA were unsuccessful.

LaGrasso has had other issues with the HOA. In an unrelated incident, the HOA found that she assaulted some women in December 2019 on the tennis courts over a dispute concerning her daughters’ taking too many courts for lessons. She was barred from using any of amenities for 90 days. There was no allegation of religious discrimination related to that incident.

Meanwhile, Tannenholz has filed a lawsuit of her own in Palm Beach County alleging that the posts on LaGrasso’s Facebook page amounted to defamation. The state case is pending.

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