Woman evicted after adopting son

All she wanted to do was provide a home for an orphaned child, but because of her kindness, a Bucks County woman's home was taken away, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

HUD is alleging that Doylestown landlords Charles and Patricia Trucksess discriminated against families with children when renting properties and even terminated one tenant's lease after she adopted a child.

The Trucksesses own several rental properties in Doylestown. In March 2007 a woman, who was not identified by HUD, rented a three-bedroom apartment from them on Old Easton Road near Curly Hill, court documents said.

While viewing the apartment, the woman told Patricia Trucksess that she planned to adopt a child and Trucksess told her that she'd never rented to anyone with children, according to HUD.

Still, the woman secured the apartment and in December of that year, adopted a 9-year-old son. They lived in the apartment until April 2009, when the woman was told her lease was being terminated, court documents said.

The Fair Housing Council of Suburban Philadelphia suggested the tenant send an e-mail to Patricia Trucksess to find out the reason for ending her lease.

In response, Trucksess wrote, in part: "When you rented the apartment . . . you were told we cannot have children living in the apartment because the property is zoned commercial and used commercially by three companies, we have never had children living on the property because of the liability," according to court documents.

HUD said the building where the woman lived was approved for residential use and not zoned commercial.

HUD also alleges that the Trucksesses advertised that their apartments had fewer bedrooms than they actually had to keep families from renting them.

The evicted tenant and her son, who was already afflicted with post-traumatic stress disorder, suffered emotional and mental distress because of the loss of their home, according to court documents.

On behalf of the woman and her son, HUD filed a charge of discrimination- for refusing to rent to a family - with a U.S. administrative law judge.

That judge will determine whether discrimination has occurred and, if so, may grant monetary damages to the family and impose fines on the defendants, HUD spokeswoman Shantae Goodloe said.

A message left for the Trucksesses was not returned.