Helen Tzelios
From public records and news reporting
 Tzelios, in the photo on her Google Business Profile[15] | |
| Occupation | Real estate broker (licensed associate broker)[12] |
|---|---|
| Employer | Douglas Elliman Real Estate, Bayside, Queens (2000–2026)[12][1] |
| Office | 3629 Bell Blvd, Bayside, NY 11361[13] |
| License | New York No. 30TZ0910751[12][13] (see § Career) |
| Education | St. John’s University (per her bio)[12] |
| Languages | English, Greek[12] |
| Known for | Defendant in Olaso v. Douglas Elliman Realty LLC, Queens County Supreme Court, Index No. 731858/2026[8] |
Helen Tzelios is a licensed associate real estate broker based in Bayside, Queens, New York. According to her published biography she began her residential real estate career at Douglas Elliman Real Estate in 2000 and specialized in sales and leasing in northeast and northwest Queens and on the North Shore of Long Island.[12]
On October 21, 2026, Lisa Renee Olaso and Cyril J. Christopher filed a verified complaint in Queens County Supreme Court naming Tzelios, Douglas Elliman Realty LLC and the owners of a Flushing apartment, Zengnuan Wang, Charles Neocleous and Barbara Neocleous (individually and as trustee), as defendants. The complaint alleges that on or about June 20, 2026, while the couple were arriving to view the apartment, Tzelios sent them a text message reading “Ugh, they’re Black,” a message the complaint says was apparently intended for someone else.[10] The suit asserts claims under the federal Fair Housing Act, the New York State Human Rights Law and the New York City Human Rights Law.[10] In a statement given to WABC-TV the same day, Douglas Elliman said it has “a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind, and the agent is no longer with the company.”[1] No response from Tzelios has been reported. Affirmations of service filed on October 30 state that the summons and complaint were delivered to Tzelios and to Douglas Elliman Realty LLC at the company’s Bayside office on October 29;[26][27] as of November 3, 2026, no defendant had answered and no attorney had appeared for any defendant.[1][2][8]
The story was reported on October 22, 2026, by 1010 WINS, ABC7 New York, NBC New York and TheGrio, and was widely shared on social media.[1][2][5][6] In the hours that followed, the rating of her Google Business Profile fell from a handful of mostly five-star reviews to 1.2 out of 5, as dozens of one-star reviews were posted.[15]
Career
Tzelios’s biography, as published on StreetEasy and Homes.com, states that she worked as an accountant for commercial real estate and construction companies in New York City before joining Douglas Elliman in 2000 as a licensed sales associate, and that she attended the College of Business Administration at St. John’s University, majoring in accounting and finance.[12][13] The biography describes her as a Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) and lists Douglas Elliman production awards including the Platinum, Diamond, Chairman’s Gold Circle, Presidential Circle and Leading Edge designations.[12] It also lists her as a board member of a northeast Queens condominium community, board secretary of The DeRosa Foundation for Colon Cancer Research and Prevention, and founder of the BLU Home Initiative, a program through which brokers donate part of their commissions to that foundation.[12]
Listing sites record her as a Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker with Douglas Elliman’s office at 3629 Bell Boulevard in Bayside. StreetEasy lists 91 past sales and 60 past rentals; Homes.com lists 11 seller-side closings in the five years to 2026, totaling about $10.6 million, the most recent a two-family house in Flushing sold on June 12, 2026.[12][13] She speaks Greek.[12]
Her New York license number, 30TZ0910751, appears on StreetEasy, Homes.com and Samaki, with StreetEasy showing an expiration date of December 13, 2027.[12][13][19] A search of the New York Department of State’s public license lookup on October 22, 2026, by name and by that number, returned no record.[11][a] As of the same date, the address of her agent profile on elliman.com redirected to the brokerage’s home page.[20]
Olaso v. Douglas Elliman Realty LLC, Helen Tzelios, et al. (Index No. 731858/2026)
Lisa Renee Olaso and Cyril J. Christopher v. Douglas Elliman Realty LLC, Helen Tzelios, et al., Index No. 731858/2026, was filed with the Queens County Clerk at 10:39 AM on October 21, 2026, by the Law Office of Kenneth M. Mollins, P.C., of Hauppauge, New York.[10] The court’s docket classifies the case as “Torts – Other (Racial Discrimination).”[8] The defendants, as listed in the court record, are:[8][10]
| Defendant | Described in the complaint as | Counsel of record |
|---|---|---|
| Douglas Elliman Realty LLC | Brokerage doing business at 36-29 Bell Boulevard, Bayside; alleged to have employed, supervised or acted through Tzelios (¶ 13) | None recorded |
| Helen Tzelios | Licensed real estate salesperson/broker or other participant in the rental transaction (¶ 14); alleged sender of the text message (¶¶ 27, 38) | None recorded |
| Zengnuan Wang | Owned or controlled the apartment and participated in the rental communications “to the extent established by the messages and subsequent investigation” (¶ 15) | None recorded |
| Charles Neocleous | Owned or controlled the apartment; same allegation (¶ 17) | None recorded |
| Barbara Neocleous | Owned or controlled the apartment; same allegation (¶ 18) | None recorded |
| Barbara Neocleous, as Trustee | Trustee of the Stelios and Thalia Matheou Irrevocable Trust, which the complaint identifies as the owner of the apartment (¶¶ 19–21) | None recorded |
The complaint states that the owners’ knowledge of, participation in, or authorization of the alleged conduct, “if any, is presently unknown and may be established through discovery” (¶ 45).[10][c] As of November 3, 2026, the case status was “Pre-RJI” (no request for judicial intervention had been filed and no judge was assigned), the docket held three documents (the summons and complaint and two affirmations of service, described below), and no attorney had appeared for any defendant. The court’s notices record no consent to electronic service for any defendant.[8][9][28]
Incident as reported
Olaso and Christopher told reporters that they had moved from Delaware after Olaso took a new job, and in June 2026 were scheduled to see a rental apartment on 26th Avenue in Flushing with a Douglas Elliman broker.[1] According to the couple, the broker did not meet them in person but saw them from a distance; as they were getting out of their car, Olaso received a text message that she said was intended for the property owner.[1]
“As we were getting out of the car, I received the text message that said, ‘Ugh. They are Black.’”Lisa Renee Olaso, to ABC7 New York[1]
Olaso said she told Christopher to get back in the car and then showed the broker the message. “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,” she told ABC7.[1] According to 1010 WINS, the agent tried to unsend the message but could not, and apologized; Olaso said she appreciated the apology “but it doesn’t change the pain.”[2] Christopher told ABC7: “It’s like judging a book by its cover. You haven’t even read the book, and you already made a judgement call.”[1] The couple have since moved to Commack, on Long Island.[2] They told 1010 WINS they were not seeking money but wanted their story told.[2]
The wording of the message differs slightly between sources: the screenshot published by 1010 WINS shows “ugh they are black”; Olaso quoted it to ABC7 as “Ugh. They are Black”; and the complaint pleads it as “Ugh, they’re Black.”[1][4][10][b]
The complaint
The verified complaint, signed by Kenneth M. Mollins and sworn to by both plaintiffs on October 21, 2026, describes the action as one “for racial discrimination in connection with the prospective rental of residential housing in Flushing, Queens.”[10] Its factual allegations include the following:
- On or about June 20, 2026, the plaintiffs arranged to view an apartment at a two-unit address on 26th Avenue in Flushing. In connection with the showing they received messages about their arrival and an instruction to exit their vehicle (¶¶ 25–26).
- During that exchange, Tzelios sent the plaintiffs a text message stating “Ugh, they’re Black,” which “was apparently intended for someone other than Plaintiffs” (¶¶ 27, 38). She then told them, “in substance,” that the comment was made because there had previously been problems at the residence and in the neighborhood involving Black people, said the message had been sent accidentally, and said the plaintiffs could still view the premises (¶¶ 29–30, 39–40).
- Olaso cried; the plaintiffs declined to go through with the viewing, continued their search through other brokers, and later blocked messages from Tzelios (¶¶ 31–32).
- The complaint states that the plaintiffs “do not allege, based on presently known facts, that a defendant expressly refused to show or rent the property,” and acknowledges that a showing was offered after the messages (¶ 3). It also states that the plaintiffs have not reported medical or mental-health treatment for emotional distress (¶ 33).
- Douglas Elliman is alleged to be liable for Tzelios’s conduct as her employer (respondeat superior), and the owners under principles of agency; the complaint says the owners’ knowledge of or participation in the conduct, “if any, is presently unknown and may be established through discovery” (¶¶ 43–45). Several allegations are expressly described as “subject to confirmation” or to be “confirmed against the original messages” (¶¶ 13, 16, 26, 29).
The complaint pleads three causes of action: discriminatory housing statements under the federal Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. § 3604(c), with a private right of action under § 3613; housing discrimination under New York Executive Law § 296(5) (the State Human Rights Law); and discriminatory housing statements under § 8-107(5) of the New York City Administrative Code (the City Human Rights Law), with remedies under § 8-502.[10] It demands compensatory damages in an amount to be determined at trial, punitive damages “to the extent authorized and supported by the evidence,” declaratory and injunctive relief “if warranted,” attorney’s fees, interest, and a jury trial.[10]
Service of process and docket activity
Two affirmations of service, both filed by the plaintiffs’ counsel at 11:49 AM on October 30, 2026 (NYSCEF Doc. Nos. 2 and 3), state that a licensed process server delivered the notice of electronic filing, summons and verified complaint at Douglas Elliman’s Bayside office (36-29 Bell Boulevard) at 4:37 PM on Thursday, October 29.[26][27]
| Defendant | Service as stated in the affirmation | Doc. No. |
|---|---|---|
| Douglas Elliman Realty LLC | Delivered October 29 to a person identified as the office secretary, who “specifically stated” she was authorized to accept service for the company[27] | 3 |
| Helen Tzelios | Delivered October 29 “c/o Douglas Elliman Realty LLC” to a co-worker described as a person of suitable age and discretion, at what the affirmation calls her “actual place of business / employment”; a copy was then mailed first class, marked “Personal and Confidential,” on October 30[26] | 2 |
| Zengnuan Wang, Charles Neocleous, Barbara Neocleous, and Barbara Neocleous as Trustee | No proof of service on the docket as of November 3, 2026[9] | — |
The summons directs defendants to answer within 20 days after personal delivery, or within 30 days after service is complete when it is not personally delivered in New York.[10] The affirmations do not state a due date, and no answer or appearance had been filed as of November 3.[8]
Douglas Elliman said on October 21 that the agent was no longer with the company.[1] The affirmation concerning Tzelios, dated eight days later, describes the Bayside office as her place of business or employment and says her papers were left there with a co-worker. It does not say whether she still works at the office, and neither filing addresses the company’s statement.[26]
Timeline
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| On or about June 20, 2026 | Scheduled showing of a rental apartment on 26th Avenue, Flushing; the text message is sent; the couple leave without viewing the apartment. | Complaint ¶¶ 25–31[10] |
| October 21, 2026 (Wed.), 10:39 AM | Summons and verified complaint filed with the Queens County Clerk. | NYSCEF[9][10] |
| October 21, 2026 (Wed.) | Douglas Elliman spokesperson gives WABC-TV a statement saying the agent “is no longer with the company.” | ABC7[1] |
| October 22, 2026 (Thu.), afternoon | 1010 WINS reports the suit (Sophia Hall); its post on X is last edited at 3:33 PM and later updated to say the couple’s attorney reports the agent was fired. | 1010 WINS[2][3] |
| October 22, 2026, 5:26 PM | ABC7 New York publishes its report (Stacey Sager); NBC New York airs a segment (Greg Cergol); TheGrio publishes (DeMicia Inman). | [1][5][6] |
| October 22, 2026, evening | Story reposted on r/nyc, Instagram and TikTok; dozens of one-star reviews posted to her Google Business Profile. | [15][22][23] |
| October 29, 2026 (Thu.), 4:37 PM | Per the affirmations, a process server delivers the summons and complaint at the Bayside office to the secretary, for Douglas Elliman Realty LLC, and to a co-worker, for Tzelios. | NYSCEF[26][27] |
| October 30, 2026 (Fri.) | A copy for Tzelios is mailed. At 11:49 AM the plaintiffs’ counsel files the two affirmations of service (Doc. Nos. 2 and 3). | NYSCEF[26][27][28] |
Responses
- Douglas Elliman
- “Douglas Elliman has a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind, and the agent is no longer with the company.” — spokesperson statement provided to ABC7 New York, October 21, 2026.[1] The couple’s attorney, Kenneth Mollins, told 1010 WINS that the company had fired the agent.[2][6] Listing sites continued to show Tzelios as affiliated with the Bayside office on October 22.[12][13] An affirmation filed October 30 states that the company’s Bayside office accepted service for it on October 29; as of November 3 the company had not appeared in the case.[27][8]
- Helen Tzelios
- No public statement has been reported. ABC7 said messages were left for the broker and the homeowners; 1010 WINS said it reached out to the realtor and her company and had not heard back.[1][2] According to the couple and the complaint, she apologized at the time and said the message was sent by accident.[2][10] An affirmation filed October 30 states she was served through the Bayside office on October 29; no response had been filed in court as of November 3.[26][8]
- Plaintiffs’ attorney
- Mollins told ABC7 the text message “did not occur in isolation”: “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.”[1]
- Property owners
- No statement has been reported, and the docket showed no proof of service on them as of November 3.[1][9]
Media coverage
- 1010 WINS (radio; Sophia Hall) reported the suit on October 22, with video posted to X, TikTok and Instagram. Its X post had about 196,000 views and its TikTok about 50,000 likes by late that evening.[2][3][4]
- ABC7 New York (WABC-TV; Stacey Sager) published “Queens apartment seekers allege broker’s text exposed housing discrimination” at 5:26 PM, including the Douglas Elliman statement and interviews with both plaintiffs and their attorney. The report names the broker only as “Tzelios.”[1] It was syndicated by Yahoo News.[7]
- NBC New York (WNBC; Greg Cergol) aired “Housing discrimination lawsuit filed over racist text.”[5]
- TheGrio (DeMicia Inman) published “Long Island couple sues after real estate agent complains ‘ugh they are Black’,” crediting 1010 WINS.[6]
- The ABC7 report was posted to r/nyc, where it drew more than 230 comments within five hours; commenters identified the broker from the surname in the article.[22] Instagram accounts including The Neighborhood Talk, blackmillionaires_, beingblackislit and americancrimestories reposted the reporting, and the blackmillionaires_ post named her.[23]
None of the news reports included a comment from Tzelios, and none named her in full in its text.[1][2][6]
Online reviews
Before October 22, 2026, the Google Business Profile for “Helen Tzelios Real Estate” carried three reviews: two five-star reviews from about four years earlier by clients describing sales she handled, and one one-star review from about six years earlier complaining that children were not allowed into a rental showing, to which the profile owner replied that she was following pandemic-era rules.[15] On the evening of October 22, after the news reports, the profile showed 84 reviews and a rating of 1.2 out of 5; the count reached 85 within the hour. Of the newest reviews loaded at about 11 PM, at least 70 had been posted within the preceding four hours.[15]
| Rating | Reviews | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 5 stars | 3 | 3.6% |
| 4 stars | 0 | 0% |
| 3 stars | 0 | 0% |
| 2 stars | 1 | 1.2% |
| 1 star | 80 | 95.2% |
| Total | 84 | Average 1.2 |
Other platforms showed earlier client ratings: Zillow listed 4.3 out of 5 from six reviews, Realtor.com showed a single 5.0 review, and her Facebook page (213 followers) showed a 5.0 rating from one review.[14][16][25] Reviews posted in the hours after a news story are responses to the story rather than accounts of transactions with the broker, and platforms may remove such reviews under their policies.
Documents
- Summons and Verified Complaint, Olaso et al. v. Douglas Elliman Realty LLC et al., Index No. 731858/2026, Queens County Supreme Court, filed October 21, 2026 (PDF, 13 pages). Mirror of NYSCEF Doc. No. 1; the document contains the parties’ addresses as filed.
- Affirmations of service (NYSCEF Doc. Nos. 2 and 3), filed October 30, 2026. Not mirrored here because they contain a process server’s physical description of a private individual; both are available on NYSCEF through the document list below.
- Case details on NYSCEF and document list. If those links stop working, search by index number at NYSCEF case search.
Notes
- The Department of State lookup was tested the same day with another Queens agent’s name, which returned a current license, so the search itself was working. The lookup may not display licenses that are inactive or not currently associated with a sponsoring broker; the result is therefore not conclusive about her license status.
- The complaint says the plaintiffs “will rely on the actual wording and sender information shown in the preserved messages” (¶ 29) and that the exact wording of the exchange “shall be confirmed against the original messages” (¶ 26).
- The owner-defendants are named here exactly as they appear in the case caption on NYSCEF and in the complaint. The complaint makes no allegation that any of them wrote or saw the text message; it pleads their liability on agency principles and says their role is to be established in discovery (¶¶ 44–45).
References
- ^ Sager, Stacey (October 22, 2026). “Queens apartment seekers allege broker’s text exposed housing discrimination”. ABC7 New York (WABC-TV). Published 5:26 PM. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- ^ 1010 WINS (October 22, 2026). “UPDATE: The couple’s attorney, Kenneth Mollins, says Douglas Elliman has fired the real estate agent…” Post on X, reported by Sophia Hall; last edited 3:33 PM. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- ^ 1010 WINS (October 22, 2026). Video report. TikTok. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- ^ Hall, Sophia (October 22, 2026). “LI couple sues after receiving ‘ugh they are black’ text from real estate agent in Queens”. WINS On-Demand, Audacy. Photo credited “Obtained by 1010 WINS.” Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- ^ Cergol, Greg (October 22, 2026). “Housing discrimination lawsuit filed over racist text” (video, 2:27). NBC New York (WNBC). Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- ^ Inman, DeMicia (October 22, 2026). “Long Island couple sues after real estate agent complains ‘ugh they are Black’”. TheGrio. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- ^ Sager, Stacey (October 22, 2026). “Queens apartment seekers allege broker’s text exposed housing discrimination”. Yahoo News (syndicated from ABC7 New York). Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- ^ “Case Details: 731858/2026, Queens County Supreme Court”. New York State Courts Electronic Filing (NYSCEF). Retrieved October 22 and November 3, 2026.
- ^ “Document List: 731858/2026”. NYSCEF. Retrieved October 22 and November 3, 2026.
- ^ Olaso et al. v. Douglas Elliman Realty LLC et al., Index No. 731858/2026 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. Queens Cty.), Summons and Verified Complaint, NYSCEF Doc. No. 1, filed October 21, 2026. Hosted copy (PDF); original on NYSCEF. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
- ^ “Public License Search”. New York Department of State, Division of Licensing Services. Searched October 22, 2026, by name (“Tzelios, Helen”) and by license number 30TZ0910751.
- ^ “Helen Tzelios Bio, Listings, and Contact Info”. StreetEasy. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- ^ “Helen Tzelios | Real Estate Agent in Bayside, NY”. Homes.com. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- ^ “Helen Tzelios – Real Estate Agent in Bayside, NY – Reviews”. Zillow. Rating of 4.3 from 6 reviews as displayed in Google search results, October 22, 2026; the profile page itself is behind an anti-bot check.
- ^ “Helen Tzelios Real Estate”. Google Business Profile, via Google Maps. Rating, review histogram and review dates read October 22, 2026, approximately 11 PM EDT.
- ^ “Helen Tzelios Real Estate | Bayside NY”. Facebook. Follower count and rating as displayed in Google search results, October 22, 2026.
- ^ “Helen Tzelios – Licensed RE Broker Associate CIPS”. LinkedIn. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- ^ “Helen Tzelios | Douglas Elliman Real Estate in Bayside, NY”. OneKey MLS. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- ^ “Helen Tzelios – Douglas Elliman Real Estate”. Samaki NYC Real Estate. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- ^ Agent profile URL, elliman.com. On October 22, 2026, this address redirected to the Douglas Elliman home page.
- ^ “Helen Tzelios Realtor at Douglas Elliman in Bayside, NY”. YouTube. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- ^ “‘Ugh, they’re Black’: Mistaken text sent to apartment-seeking couple sparks racial discrimination lawsuit”. r/nyc, Reddit, October 22, 2026. Comment count as displayed in Google search results that evening.
- ^ Instagram posts of October 22, 2026: The Neighborhood Talk; blackmillionaires_; beingblackislit; americancrimestories. Retrieved October 22–23, 2026.
- ^ “Long Island NY Couple Sues After Real Estate Agent Texted ‘Ugh They Are Black’…”. Lipstick Alley forum, October 22, 2026.
- ^ “Helen Tzelios – Bayside, NY Real Estate Agent”. Realtor.com. One 5.0 review as displayed in Google search results, October 22, 2026; the profile page could not be retrieved.
- ^ Olaso et al. v. Douglas Elliman Realty LLC et al., Index No. 731858/2026 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. Queens Cty.), Affirmation of Service (as to Helen Tzelios), NYSCEF Doc. No. 2, filed October 30, 2026, 11:49 AM. Document list. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
- ^ Olaso et al. v. Douglas Elliman Realty LLC et al., Index No. 731858/2026, Affirmation of Service (as to Douglas Elliman Realty LLC), NYSCEF Doc. No. 3, filed October 30, 2026, 11:49 AM. Document list. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
- ^ “NYSCEF Confirmation Notice” for Doc. Nos. 2 and 3, Queens County Supreme Court, October 30, 2026, 11:49 AM (assigned judge: none recorded; no consent to e-service on record for any defendant). Linked from the document list. Retrieved November 3, 2026.