Lawsuit: Clairton landlord would not terminate lease for woman who feared domestic abuse

A woman who said she was the victim of domestic violence is suing her former landlord, claiming that he discriminated against her by failing to let her terminate her lease early when she became fearful of her husband.

Ashley Butler, with assistance from the Fair Housing Partnership of Greater Pittsburgh, filed the federal lawsuit on Friday against Michael Sundo of Sundo Capital LLC and Sladack Holdings.

It includes sex discrimination claims under the Fair Housing Act, the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practice and Consumer Protection Law; and state Landlord and Tenant Act.

The lawsuit accuses the defendants of refusing permission to terminate Butler’s lease after “intimate partner violence and stalking had caused her to fear for her life at her residence.”

“Refusing early lease termination in cases involving domestic violence has an inherent disparate impact on female tenants,” the complaint said.

It sites statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice that 85% of victims of intimate partner violence nationwide are women, and from the Centers for Disease Control, which said that women are approximately 4.5 time more likely than men to be stalked by an intimate partner.

Not only did the defendants not accommodate Butler by allowing her to terminate her lease early, the lawsuit continued, but they “intimidated, verbally harassed and retaliated against” her.

The lawsuit alleges that Sundo is the principal of Sundo Capital and Sladack Holdings. He did not return a message seeking comment.

According to the complaint, Butler and her now-former husband, Terry Butler Jr., rented a house in Clairton from the defendants in July 2018, with both of them listed on the lease agreement. They have three children.

The rental agreement was signed on July 5, 2018, and slated to expire on Aug. 30, 2019.

Two months after moving in, Ashley Butler got a protection from abuse order against her husband on Sept. 10, 2018.

Terry Butler Jr. was removed from the house that night by police, the lawsuit said, and the PFA was finalized on Sept. 24.

Within a few days, the complaint continued, Butler told Sundo about the suspected abuse, the PFA, the police involvement and that she was afraid for her safety in the home.

On Sept. 30, Terry Butler was arrested for violating the PFA. Although Common Pleas Judge David R. Cashman ordered him to serve six months in jail, Terry Butler was released on probation on Nov. 20.

The lawsuit alleges that Terry Butler was banned from the University of Pittsburgh where his wife worked because of stalking. She lost her job there for repeated absences connected to court dates relative to the domestic situation, according to the lawsuit.

“Ms. Butler repeatedly informed defendant Mr. Sundo that she feared for her life in her home and needed to move,” the lawsuit said. “Mr. Sundo refused to allow Ms. Butler to terminate the lease early.”

The lawsuit alleges that Butler felt “humiliated, intimidated and harassed” by Sundo’s comments.

She also said that he told her that she, alone, would be responsible for the rent, and that he would not hold her husband responsible.

When Terry Butler’s probation ended in May 2019, the lawsuit said, he again began to aggressively stalk his wife, including at her home.

“These behaviors again placed Ms. Butler in a state of fear and anxiety about residing in the home,” the complaint said.

Ashley Butler relocated with her children to a shelter for victims of domestic violence, the lawsuit said.

Twice while she was there, the complaint stted, the shelter went on lock-=down because Terry Butler was seen stalking her near the premises.

When Ashley Butler told her new employer what was happening — for fear her husband would show up there — she lost that job, too.

In June 2019, the lawsuit said, she permanently moved out of the home owned by Sundo, and turned in the keys on July 10.

Ashley Butler admitted in the complaint that, although she left the home in good condition, because of the speed in which she moved out, she left her children’s bunk beds, a sofa and other possessions in the basement.

Sundo filed a landlord-tenant complaint against Butler on Aug. 13, 2019, alleging she damaged the house. He also added claims in the case for failure to pay rent in September and October 2019, even though the lease had ended before then, the federal lawsuit said.