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For most of the seven years that Holly Ondaan lived in her Queens apartment building, she rarely clashed with her landlord. That changed when she started having money troubles and stopped paying rent.

The landlord, Diana Lysius, then took an aggressive step: In texts and emails, she started threatening to report Ms. Ondaan, who is from Guyana, to immigration authorities. “Have my money or I’m calling ICES that day period,” read one message, written in all capital letters, according to court documents.

This month, a judge ruled that the landlord had violated the city’s human rights law and recommended she pay $17,000 in a fine and damages. City officials called the decision a rare rebuke that could set a new standard for how immigrant tenants are treated.

Although housing discrimination against immigrants is common, the recommendation from the judge that Ms. Lysius pay a $5,000 fine and $12,000 in damages to her tenant is highly unusual, if not unprecedented, said lawyers for the New York City Commission on Human Rights, which pursued the case after Ms. Ondaan filed a complaint. The decision, made on Sept. 12, was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.