Lisa Renee Olaso thought she was one step closer to starting a new chapter in New York. She and her fiancée, Cyril Christopher, were moving from Delaware after Olaso landed a new job, and the couple was looking for a place to call home. But now, they’ve filed a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination against a prominent New York realtor.
The couple had arranged to see a three-bedroom apartment in Flushing, Queens, in June, according to their lawsuit. But before they could even step inside, Olaso received a message that appeared to have been meant for the property owner.
Its words were blunt: “Ugh, they are Black.”
The documents say that message came from real estate broker Helen Tzelios of Douglas Elliman Realty and referred to Olaso and Christopher. What should have been a routine step in finding a home suddenly became something far more painful. Olaso was stunned, and the couple decided to leave.
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When Olaso confronted the broker, Tzelios reportedly had a rebuttal.
“When she looked at her phone, she started to explain that there were previous Black tenants in the neighborhood and that they had caused a lot of trouble,” Olaso told ABC 7. For Olaso and Christopher, the exchange raised an unsettling question about whether they’d been judged and rejected before they ever had a fair chance to rent the apartment.
Now, the couple is taking that question to court.
Their lawsuit, filed in Queens State Court, names Tzelios, Douglas Elliman Realty and property owners as defendants. It alleges housing discrimination under the federal Fair Housing Act and New York City human rights law, which prohibit discrimination based on race. The allegations have not been established in court.
The Root reached out to Douglas Elliman for comment. As of Friday (Oct. 23), they have not responded.
A Douglas Elliman spokesperson, however, told ABC 7 that it maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward discrimination and that Tzelios was an independent contractor who was no longer with the firm after it received the lawsuit.
Black residents make up just 3% of the population in Queens Community District 7, a 2024 census count shows. The district encompasses Flushing, Murray Hill and Whitestone.
Luckily for Olaso and Christopher, they have since found a rental home in Commack, Long Island. But finding another place to live does not erase what they say happened during their search. Their decision to sue is about more than one apartment or one offensive text. It is about the indignity of wondering whether the color of your skin has already closed a door before you have even knocked.
“It’s like judging a book by its cover. You haven’t even read the book, and you already made a judgment call,” Christopher told ABC 7. The couple told The Gothamist they are not suing for money.
For Black renters, the search for a home can carry concerns that have nothing to do with credit scores, income or the number of bedrooms. This case puts those concerns into stark focus. Everyone deserves the chance to find a home without their race being treated as a reason to turn them away. Olaso and Christopher are seeking accountability — and hoping their experience makes it harder for that principle to be ignored.
