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v. INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES PROJECT, INC., ET AL. 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. The Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana and fair housing organizations in six different states announced a settlement has been reached in a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Clover Group. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Government. NFHA and the plaintiff fair housing organizations will use over $35 million of the settlement to promote homeownership, neighborhood stabilization, access to credit, property rehabilitation, and residential development in the 39 metropolitan areas at issue in the case. Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons (RLUIPA): On February 25, 2022, the court entered a consent order in United States v. Village of Walthill, Nebraska (D. For example, those with certain disabilities who are discriminated against may also be protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). However, if you do feel like something is not quite right, it may be worth taking the next step. Mo. (617) 829-9570 The lawsuit was originally brought against Redfin in October 2020 by NFHA and nine other fair housing organizations alleging redlining in certain ZIP codes. Specifically, the complaint alleged that the Defendants failed to grant a reasonable accommodation to its breed restriction policy to allow a woman with PTSD to visit her mother at the mobile home community with her assistance animal and that the Defendants interfered with the Complainants fair housing rights by banning the daughter and evicting the mother from the community. SunTrust denied any wrongdoing, but settled for $21 million in May. 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. In 2011, HUD agreed to pay roughly $62 million under a new Blight Reduction Grant Adjustment program. The statement of interest explains that damages may be available to private litigants pursuing land use claims against municipal defendants under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA). On January 3, 2023, the court entered a consent order in United States v. Perry Homes, Inc. (W.D. The complaint, which was filed on February 2, 2023, alleged that the owners and managers of an apartment building in Las Vegas, Nevada violated the Act by refusing to grant . You are are free to republish it so long as you do the following: Copy and paste the following into your page to republish: paid on average $2,937 more in broker fees, Blight Reduction Grant Adjustment program, how the government betrayed a landmark civil rights law, Alaska Says Its Now Legal in Some Instances to Discriminate Against LGBTQ Individuals, A Christian Health Nonprofit Saddled Thousands With Debt as It Built a Family Empire Including a Pot Farm, a Bank and an Airline. ), United States v. Vernon C. Morgan (D. Colo.), United States v. City National Bank (C.D. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Train your staff on what steering is, and how to avoid it. Take photos if necessary. The Fortune Society had alleged in the case that (1) Defendants refused rental inquires for their clients because of their policy prohibiting anyone with a criminal record from residing there, and (2) Defendants policy was discriminatory in violation of the FHA because it disproportionately excluded African Americans and Latinos from housing, without considering each potential tenants individual circumstances. NFHA is a consortium of more than 200 private, nonprofit fair housing organizations and state and local civil rights agencies from throughout the United States. Last week, the Obama administration formalized the legal standard it has used to enforce fair housing laws and hold banks accountable for discriminating against minorities. Hispanic borrowers were charged $2,187 more. On October 8, 2021, HUD announced a Conciliation Agreement/Voluntary Compliance Agreement with the owners of a HUD-subsidized community in Fairhope, Alabama, resolving allegations that the owners' policy prohibiting visitors under the age of 12 due to COVID-19 was discriminatory. 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. For more information about canonical metadata, You cant edit our material, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. (W.D. The 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. Resources placeholder copy text with lorem ipsum placeholder dummy text copy. 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). The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Ashland Housing Authority (AHA) settled a Fair Housing Act (FHA) discrimination lawsuit on Tuesday. Case Name. The case was referred to the Division after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) received a complaint, conducted an investigation, and issued a charge of discrimination. Todays settlement brings hope to underserved neighborhoods, and the people living in them, in 39 metropolitan areas throughout the nation. 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. Individuals who believe that they were subjected to sexual harassment by Centanni should contact the Housing Discrimination Tip Line toll free, at 1-833-591-0291, and select option number one to leave a message. Rental and Sales Discrimination based on Disability: On January 3, 2023, the court entered a consent order in United States v. Perry Homes, Inc. (W.D. The consent order, was approved by the court and requires City National to invest at least $29.5 million in a loan subsidy fund for residents of majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Los Angeles County; invest $750,000 for development of community partnerships to provide services that increase access to residential mortgage credit in those neighborhoods; invest $500,000 for advertising and outreach in those neighborhoods; and invest $500,000 for consumer financial education.Press Release (1/12/2023)Comunicado de prensa (12 01 2023)Remarks of Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke (1/12/2023)Declaracin de AAG Clarke (12 01 2023), On January 9, 2023, the United States filed a Statement of Interest in Louis et al. vs. Retaliate. Correction:An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to brokers instead of loan officers in the cases involving C&F and PrimeLending. The case was the first time a federal court confirmed the nations fair housing laws cover the maintenance and marketing of Real Estate Owned (REO) properties. The settlement requires, in part, the AHA to "deposit in an interest-bearing escrow account" $275,000 for the purpose of "compensating the 23 individuals identified by the United States in pretrial disclosures as aggrieved persons," according to the . The complaint alleges that the defendant discriminated on the basis of sex in violation of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) by sexually harassing the complainant when she rented housing in a building the he owned and managed and by retaliating against her by ordering her to move out after she objected to his advances. 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. Contact the Fair Housing Project or a private attorney if you need to speak with an attorney regarding your particular situation. 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). 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. If you are justified under the law, youll still be justified when your attorney makes your points for you. 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. Screenshot taken on November 3, 2016. The settlement will directly and immediately benefit the communities of color hit hardest by the foreclosure crisis and its aftermath. We won't share your email address and you can unsubscribe at any time. Cal.). The settlement resolves allegations that the property owners and manager discriminated on the basis of sex and race when they failed to address the couples complaints of neighbor harassment, which included physical intimidation and disparaging statements being made about the couples race and sexual orientation. Conversely, the African American testers who inquired about [], TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS, ET AL. In North Carolina, more than 16,000 people are released from federal and state correctional authorities each year. Access to affordable housing is a central aspect to successful reintegration for the thousands of Americans and North Carolinians, disproportionately people of color, released from incarceration each year. Fannie Mae has implemented practices that will help prevent harmful treatment of communities of color in the future, including increasing its oversight of maintenance of properties it owns, prioritizing owner-occupants rather than investors as purchasers of REOs, and ensuring that it complies with fair housing laws by providing fair housing training to its employees and vendors. On February 7, 2023, the court entered a consent order in this Fair Housing Act election case. v. Federal National Mortgage Association NFHA et al. The Justice Department announced today that it has secured an agreement to resolve a lawsuit alleging that landlord Darrell Jones of Muskegon, Michigan, violated the Fair Housing Act by sexually harassing female tenants. On January 12, 2023, the United States filed a complaint and a proposed consent order in US v. City National Bank (C.D. These are things that are typically considered to be reasonable requirements. PrimeLending incentivized increasing overages (higher interest rates) by providing higher compensation for loan officers. Under the FHA, the Department of Justice may bring lawsuits where there is reason to believe that a person or entity is engaged in a "pattern or practice" of discrimination or where a denial of rights to a group of persons raises an issue of general public importance. The complaint named Premiere Holdings, Inc.; Premiere Holdings Residential Division, LLC; Premiere Holdings Residential Division, LLC, Series LV; Lauri Villafane;and Felicia Abdo as defendants. However, if they check all the boxes and yet theyre still not approved for the rental they are applying for, its possible there is something else going on that is worth investigating. Additional restrictions may apply. (W.D. 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. ), a case brought under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Heres an overview of key cases from the foreclosure crisis. Black and Hispanic homeowners also were encouraged to take on riskier subprime loans. Morgan Stanley profited by bundling and selling those loans to investors, allegedly knowing borrowers were likely to default. The complaint alleges that defendants, the City of El Paso and its agents, engaged in a pattern or practice of violating Section 3958 of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by repossessing at least 176 vehicles owned by protected servicemembers without the required court orders. After decades of being denied credit, many minority communities were victim to reverse redlining during the foreclosure crisis, as mortgage companies pushed risky loans in hopes of profiting from their higher interest rates and fees. Summaries are included below. v. SafeRent et al. The owners also retaliated against the couple for complaining about the harassment. As one of the countrys biggest Federal Housing Authority lenders, PrimeLending provides mortgage loans to low-income customers that are guaranteed by the FHA or the Department of Veterans Affairs. For example, if their rental application was turned down for a questionable or unclear reason, its possible that the applicant was discriminated against. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Any website our stories appear on must include a prominent and effective way to contact you. On February 22, 2023, the United States filed an election complaint in United States v. MA Partners 2, et al. If you use canonical metadata, please use the ProPublica URL. Join our blog newsletter to stay up to date on property management industry insights. As one of the most important fair housing lawsuits of the past decade, Thompson sought to eradicate the legacy of racially segregated public housing in Baltimore, Maryland, the hometown of Thurgood Marshall, LDF's first Director-Counsel. If youre already a member, login to access this page. Just like when it comes to approving rental applications, mortgage lenders enforce certain criteria when it comes to approving potential borrowers and determining how much of a loan they are eligible for. Md. On February 23, 2023, the United States filed a pattern or practice complaint in United States v. Joel Nolen et at. Additional restrictions may apply. Oral arguments are scheduled to be heard in March. Under the order, the defendants will spend $950,000 and commit to injunctive relief, including: a settlement fund of $670,000 to compensate individuals harmed by the program; the payment of $100,000 in civil penalties; affirmative marketing to promote fair housing in Hesperia; partnerships with community-based organizations; notifications to What property managers should know. A landlords tenant screening policies must evaluate each applicant as an individual; policies that automatically reject individuals with a criminal history likely violate the FHA. But thats the last thing you should do. Learn to identify discrimination with lorem ipsum placeholder dummy text copy. Others may be evicted from their homes for no reason other than their ethnicity or religion. The materials contained on this website are for information and education purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. 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. The agents steered the white home seekers away from interracial neighborhoods in Jackson, which is majority African American, and into majority white areas. In addition, the Consent Order requires that Defendants issue confirmation to Sarah Jamison that she can live with her emotional support cat as a reasonable accommodation while she remains a tenant at the property. In many cases, they will be obligated to help you mount a defense. The Department of Justice also brings cases where a housing discrimination complaint has been investigated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD has issued a charge of discrimination, and one of the parties to the case has "elected" to go to federal court.