A New York City real estate agent allegedly sent a racially offensive message about a couple seeking to rent an apartment—unaware that one of the prospective tenants had been included in the text exchange.
Lisa Renee Olaso and her fiancé, Cyril Christopher, have since filed a lawsuit against broker Helen Tzelios, Douglas Elliman Realty and several people identified as owners of the property.
According to court records obtained by the Daily Mail, the alleged discrimination occurred before the couple had even entered the Queens apartment they were scheduled to view.
The message reportedly read, “Ugh they are black,” after Tzelios allegedly saw the couple arriving for the viewing in Flushing.
Olaso and Christopher had moved from Delaware in June after she accepted a new job. The couple was looking forward to settling into an apartment on 26th Avenue.
They had arranged to meet a Douglas Elliman representative at the building, but the lawsuit claims the agent spotted them from afar and sent the text before speaking with them.
Olaso was allegedly copied into the conversation by mistake, despite the message reportedly being intended for the property owner.
“As we were getting out of the car, I received the text message that said, ‘Ugh they are black,’” Olaso said during a press conference.
The agent allegedly sent the message after seeing the couple arrive for an apartment viewing in Flushing
Olaso and Christopher are suing Douglas Elliman Realty, Helen Tzelios and several individuals named as property owners
Shocked by the message, Olaso said she immediately urged Christopher to return to their vehicle.
She then confronted Tzelios, who allegedly offered an explanation involving Black tenants who had previously lived in the area.
“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 said.
The couple has brought legal action against Douglas Elliman, Tzelios and multiple individuals listed in property ownership records.
Their lawyer, Kenneth Mollins, said the exchange could point to possible involvement beyond the agent herself.
Mollins argued that the wording appeared to assume the intended recipient would understand why the couple’s race was relevant.
“The person receiving the text would have to get 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 confirmed that Tzelios no longer works for the company and said it rejects discrimination in all forms.
“Douglas Elliman has a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind. The agent is no longer with the company,” the firm said in a statement to the Daily Mail.
The couple has since sued the broker, identified as Helen Tzelios, real estate giant Douglas Elliman and several property owners over the encounter.
However, such discrimination may result in significant consequences. The Fair Housing Act imposes serious civil penalties on realtors, including federal lawsuits and license suspension.
The 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 said Tzelios tried to apologize, but said 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 added.
The Daily Mail reached out to Tzelios for comment but did not immediately hear back.