U.S. Attorney’s Office Sues The Town Of Beekman For Preventing The Operation Of A Sober Home

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today the filing of a civil rights lawsuit against the TOWN OF BEEKMAN ("BEEKMAN") in Dutchess County. The lawsuit alleges that BEEKMAN refused to allow Bunkhouse Recovery Ranch ("Bunkhouse") to operate an existing residential property as a sober living home that assists people with disabilities, specifically persons in recovery from drug and alcohol abuse, in violation of the Fair Housing Act. Bunkhouse seeks to assist men who are in recovery from alcoholism or drug addiction to achieve and maintain sobriety, with a focus on veterans, first responders, and family members of veterans or first responders.

"Those who are struggling to defeat their dependence on drugs or alcohol deserve support, not obstruction, especially when they are among our veterans, first responders, and their families," said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. "The Fair Housing Act makes clear that individuals in recovery are protected from discrimination, and municipalities cannot use zoning classifications or procedural delays to block lawful housing. When a community refuses to treat a sober living home like any other residence, it denies individuals in recovery a fair chance to rebuild their lives. The women and men of this Office are committed to ensuring that federal civil rights protections are fully and fairly enforced."

According to the Complaint filed in federal court in White Plains:

In June 2023, Bunkhouse founder Patrick Potter ("Potter") sought to develop a sober living home in New York State for the benefit of male veterans, first responders, and family members of veterans or first responders. He initially received a positive reception from local officials and purchased an existing 4,650 square foot residential property in BEEKMAN. Once Potter purchased the property, however, BEEKMAN, through its Zoning Administrator and counsel, began to erect hurdles to prevent Bunkhouse from operating. In particular, BEEKMAN misclassified the property as an "alternate care facility or nursing home," required Potter to submit costly and unnecessary site plans and permits, and failed to respond to Potter's efforts to meet BEEKMAN's shifting requirements.

The United States Attorney's Office initially contacted BEEKMAN in October 2024, in an effort to avoid litigation, but BEEKMAN continued to refuse to engage with Potter's efforts to operate a sober living home on his property. Although Potter submitted applications for a special use permit and site plan approval in April 2025 to meet BEEKMAN's supposed requirements, BEEKMAN has ignored these good-faith efforts for ten months and counting.

The Fair Housing Act prohibits, among other things, discrimination on the basis of disability, and defines disability to include drug or alcohol addiction where the person is not currently using illegal drugs and is in recovery from addiction. Prospective residents seeking admission to Bunkhouse must be sober and free of illegal drugs and must commit to remaining sober and free of illegal drugs throughout their residency.

To file a complaint alleging discrimination in housing, use the Civil Rights Complaint Form available on the United States Attorney's Office website: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/civil-rights. Complaints should be emailed or sent by mail to:

U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York

86 Chambers Street, 3rd Floor

New York, New York 10007

Attention: Chief, Civil Rights Unit

[email protected]

The case is being handled by the Office's Civil Rights Unit in the Civil Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. Kennedy and Tomoko Onozawa are in charge of the case.