The case involved fair housing testing. (W.D. The case was referred to the Division after the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) received the complaint, conducted an investigation, and issued a charge of discrimination. Conversely, the African American testers who inquired about [], TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS, ET AL. Elm York of East Haven, NY; Madison York Assisted Living Community of Flushing, NY; Madison York Rego Park in Rego Park, NY; and Village Housing Development Fund of New York, NY, (also known as VillageCare) reached a settlement subject to court approval with the Fair Housing Justice Center, a Queens, NY-based nonprofit civil rights organization. This includes publishing or syndicating our work on platforms or apps such as Apple News, Google News, etc. Record the reason for rejecting each applicant. Cal.). Litigation Log - Fair Housing Center of Southeast & Mid Michigan Litigation Log It is understood that in all "settled" cases reported on this site, the defendant, unless otherwise noted, denies the allegations of discrimination made by the plaintiff, and the parties have agreed to resolve the case prior to a trial on the merits. v. INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES PROJECT, INC., ET AL. There are certain reasonable factors that are strongly considered, such as income and debt, but there are other factors that should never be taken into consideration. Just enter your email below and we'll keep you posted when we have new articles. This case demonstrates that in addition to overt acts of discrimination, actions which have a disparate impact on people and communities of color must also be addressed, said Erin Kemple, Executive Director of the Connecticut Fair Housing Center. Here are some examples of housing discrimination. We use MailChimp as our e-mail automation platform. The jury also found that the Defendant had violated the Fair Housing Act rights of three persons a married couple who owned a unit and another woman who was also a unit owner - whose requests for accommodations for assistance animals were denied or unreasonably delayed. Retaliate. Mo.). NFHA et al. On November 15, 2022, the United States filed a statement of interest related to damages briefing in Adam Community Center v. City of Troy, Michigan, et al (E.D. Fair LendingRental and Sales Discrimination based on Race, Color, National Origin, Familial Status and ReligionSexual HarassmentRental and Sales Discrimination based on DisabilityDesign and ConstructionDiscriminatory Land Use and ZoningPublic Accommodations (Title II)Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA)Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). Both sides moved for summary judgment on this claim. In the U.S., Black and Latino families, at the median, have only 1 cent and 8 cents respectively for every dollar held by White families. Morgan Stanley filed a motion to dismiss the case at the end of December. The jury also found that the Defendant had violated the Fair Housing Act rights of three persons a married couple who owned a unit and another woman who was also a unit owner - whose requests for accommodations for assistance animals were denied or unreasonably delayed. The author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this publication. Legal Aid of North Carolina does not provide legal assistance by email. By contacting and submitting my information to USClaims, I consent and agree to the. The agents steered the white home seekers away from interracial neighborhoods in Jackson, which is majority African American, and into majority white areas. The settlement is one of the largest to date in cases challenging blanket ban policies that exclude tenants because of a criminal background, regardless of the nature, severity, age of the record, or any rehabilitative efforts since the conviction. Take photos if necessary. On February 7, 2023, the court entered a consent order in this Fair Housing Act "election" case. Legal Aid of North Carolina does not provide legal assistance by email. On January 25, 2023, the court entered a final judgment on a June 10, 2022 jury verdict in favor of the United States in United States v. Dorchester Owners Association ("DOA") (E.D. v.Bank of America NFHA et al. The complaint in the case alleges, among other things, that a private homeowners association discriminated on the basis of disability when it refused to allow a small assisted living home for seniors with disabilities to operate unless it complied with certain conditions. Countrywide, a now-defunct mortgage company owned by Bank of America, gave subprime loans to 10,000 Hispanic and African-American borrowers, while providing prime loans for white borrowers with similar financial situations. Todays settlement brings hope to underserved neighborhoods, and the people living in them, in 39 metropolitan areas throughout the nation. In 2008, New Orleans housing organizations and local homeowners accused HUD and the Louisiana Recovery Authority of discriminating against black homeowners in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. You cant sell our material separately or syndicate it. This case established that the marketing and maintenance of Real Estate Owned properties is covered under the Fair Housing Act, in line with broad interpretation of the civil rights law, said Keenya Robertson, President & CEO of Housing Opportunities Project for Excellence, (HOPE), Inc. Moreover, this case encourages those who own an inventory of foreclosed homes to continually review their policies and monitor the way they preserve the value and desirability of the homes in every community in which they are located.. The complaint, which was filed on October 30, 2020, alleges that the owners and managers of a 15-lot mobile home park in West Plains, Missouri discriminated on the basis of disability by requiring a pet deposit for the complainants assistance animal and verbally harassing the complainants, brandishing a gun, and physically attacking one of the complainants. By submitting your e-mail address, you also acknowledge that the information you provide will be transferred to MailChimp for processing in accordance with their Privacy Policy and Terms (https://mailchimp.com/legal). Read the press release and agreement here, Read the full Press Release and Agreement here. Pa.). The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA)is the countrys only national civil rights organization dedicated solely to eliminating all forms of housing and lending discrimination and ensuring equal opportunities for all people. The case is based on a HUD complaint that was filed by Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Services (SWPLS), a non-profit legal aid organization whose mission includes combating housing discrimination, after the organization conducted fair housing testing. Landlords often take various factors into consideration when making decisions regarding rental applications, such as requiring certain income minimums (to ensure monthly rent can be paid), good credit, and no criminal background. Mich.). The Fair Housing Act, for example, makes it illegal to "make, print, or publish, or cause to be made, printed, or published any notice, statement, or advertisement" that would limit housing options for protected groups. Md. Nobody should ever be discriminated against when it comes to finding a home, but alas, this does happen. all v. HUD and Paul Rainwater, Executive Director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority. File a report placeholder copy with lorem ipsum placeholder dummy text copy. Black and Latino consumers were actively targeted by predatory subprime mortgage lenders in the run-up to the 2008 Financial Crisis and, as a result, homes in Black and Latino neighborhoods were respectively 2 and 2.5 times more likely to be foreclosed than homes in White communities. The DOJ found that SunTrust Mortgage allowed its brokers and loan officers considerable leeway in determining a customers interest rate, resulting in discriminatory prices for minorities. Flack v. Wisconsin Department of Health Services SunTrust denied any wrongdoing, but settled for $21 million in May. This case was referred to the Division after the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) received a complaint, conducted an investigation, and issued a charge of discrimination. ), Adam Community Center v. City of Troy (E.D. Md. On February 23, 2023, the United States filed a pattern or practice complaint in United States v. Joel Nolen et at. Por qu investigamos la muerte de Jefferson? The case was brought by a resident who was told that she could no longer provide childcare in her unit for her grandchildren due to the policy. The plaintiffs allege that SafeRent scores result in an unlawful disparate impact against Black and Hispanic rental applicants because the underlying algorithm relies on certain factors that disproportionately disadvantage Black and Hispanic applicants, such as credit history and non-tenancy related debts, while failing to consider one highly-relevant factor, that the use of housing vouchers funded by HUD makes such tenants more likely to pay their rents. TRAVELERS This federal lawsuit alleged race, sex and source of income discrimination against Travelers Indemnity Company and Travelers Casualty Insurance Company of America (Travelers) for failing to provide habitational insurance to apartment owners who rent to tenants who participate in the Housing Choice Voucher program. Brokers at the countrys largest mortgage lender were found to have raised interest rates and broker fees for more than 30,000 minority customers. The United States filed its complaint in this case on March 12, 2020. Because a familys home is often its greatest asset, unfair practices drive growth of the racial wealth gap, said William Tisdale, President and CEO of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council. The case was the first to charge the secondary mortgage market, and not just mortgage companies themselves, with violating the Fair Housing Act. The Company Agrees to Alter its Minimum Home Price Policy Media Contact: Media@KAHConsultingGroup.com WASHINGTON, DC - April 29, 2022 - Today, the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) announced a settlement agreement to resolve a fair housing lawsuit that will expand housing opportunities for consumers in communities of color in major cities throughout the United States. The DOJ case against Wells Fargo over violation of the Fair Housing Act is the second largest fair lending settlement in the DOJs history, after the lawsuit against Countrywide Financial. While there are certainly more subtle ways that people may find themselves victims of discrimination when it comes to housing, in other situations, there may be no question about whats going on. The United States alleged in this case that the DOA discriminated on the basis of disability by failing to grant a reasonable accommodation to its no-pets policy to a HUD complainant, and alleged that DOA engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination and/or a denial of rights against a group of persons by adopting a discriminatory policy and refusing to grant reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities who need assistance animals. You cant use our work to populate a website designed to improve rankings on search engines or solely to gain revenue from network-based advertisements. Other times, you may even be questioning it yourself, without knowing with absolute certainty. The work that provided the basis for this publication was supported by funding under a grant (FEOI210033) with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This was one of the first cases in the country to challenge overly broad bans on renting to people with criminal records as discriminatory under the FHA. WASHINGTON, DC Today, the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) and 20 fair housing organizations throughout the country reached a landmark $53 million agreement with Fannie Mae (formally known as the Federal National Mortgage Association). Global Headquarters In the case involving SunTrust, the story has been updated to include loan officers as well as brokers. The plaintiffs will invest the vast majority of the settlement monies directly back into the communities that were harmed by Fannie Maes alleged discriminatory conduct. Now, the Supreme Court is considering hearing a challenge to the disparate impact standard. In, According to the CDC there are 61 million Americans with disabilities. You cant republish our material wholesale, or automatically; you need to select stories to be republished individually. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Ashland Housing Authority (AHA) settled a Fair Housing Act (FHA) discrimination lawsuit on Tuesday. The case was referred to the Division after the Department of Housing and Urban Development received a complaint, conducted an investigation, and issued a charge of discrimination. United States v. Countrywide Corporation, Countrywide Home Loans and Countrywide Bank. On November 23, 2022, the United States filed a Statement of Interest in Group Home on Gibson Island LLC v. Gibson Island Corporation (D. Individuals can also contact the U.S. Attorney's Office Civil Rights Hotline at (855) 281-3339. Use this comprehensive property management maintenance checklist to get through repairs faster and more efficiently than previously possible. The jury also found that the United States had not proven that Defendant unlawfully denied the accommodation requested by a unit owner who had filed a HUD complaint and intervened as a plaintiff. NFHA v. BOA This fair lending complaint, filed with HUD, alleges that Bank of America of discrimination based on national origin by treating the Hispanic testers less favorably than the non-Hispanic testers. Train your staff on source of income laws, if you are in a source of income jurisdiction. However, if you do feel like something is not quite right, it may be worth taking the next step. Cali. The complaint, which was filed on April 5, alleged that Perry Homes, the owner of a multifamily rental property in Cranberry, Pennsylvania, discriminated on the basis of disability in violation of the Fair Housing Act by refusing to grant requests for reasonable accommodations made by two different tenant households who sought permission to keep an assistance animal in their apartments. The Justice Deptartment charged C&F Mortgage with violating the FHA and ECOA by raising interest rates for black and Hispanic mortgage customers. Fair Housing Act Cases | HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Home / Program Offices / Office of Hearings and Appeals / Cases / Fair Housing Act Cases Fair Housing Act Cases A PDF Reader is necessary to view these files. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, and disability. With the disparate impact standard, the Department of Justice was able to argue that the disproportionate harm to communities of color put predatory lenders in violation of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. The grants will also include innovative programs and partnerships to promote fair housing. If you take negative action of any kind against a tenant who filed a housing discrimination complaint against you, youll open yourself up to more fines and penalties. The author and publisher of this press release are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this publication.