Cases and Settlements

Mobile Home Community to Pay $251,500 to Settle Race Discrimination Claims

August 12, 2015    

The owners and operators of an Illinois mobile home community recent agreed to pay $251,500 to settle a lawsuit alleging discrimination based on race and familial status, according to the Justice Department.

Virginia Retirement Community Pays $390K to Settle Discrimination Claims

July 7, 2015    

In a recent settlement, a continuing care retirement community in Virginia agreed to pay $390,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the fair housing law by instituting policies that discriminated against residents with disabilities.

Seattle Cracks Down on Rental Housing Discrimination

July 7, 2015    

Fair housing authorities in Seattle recently filed discrimination complaints against 13 rental property owners after on-site fair housing testing uncovered evidence of housing discrimination. The Seattle Office for Civil Rights (SOCR) reported that 12 have agreed to settlements requiring them to...

Supreme Court: Fair Housing Act Covers Disparate Impact Discrimination

June 25, 2015    

On June 25, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal fair housing law applies to discrimination claims based on their discriminatory effect on members of protected classes—even if there’s no intent to discriminate.

Nation's Largest Cooperative Settles Suit Over Its Assistance Animal Policy

June 23, 2015    

The Justice Department and HUD recently announced a settlement in a civil rights lawsuit against the largest affordable housing cooperative in the United States, alleging disability discrimination against people who require service or assistance animals. The community is located in the Bronx, N....

Louisiana Public Housing Authority Settles Race Discrimination Case

May 28, 2015    

The Housing Authority of the city of Ruston, La., recently agreed to pay $175,000 and adopt comprehensive new policies to settle a race discrimination lawsuit filed by the Justice Department.

Minnesota Owner Accused of Discriminating Against Asian Family

May 28, 2015    

HUD recently announced that it has charged the owner and manager of a Minnesota property with housing discrimination based on national origin for refusing to rent a home to an Asian family of Hmong descent.

$135K Settlement in Suit Alleging Discrimination Against Families with Children

May 28, 2015    

The owner and operator of a Massachusetts community recently agreed to pay $135,000 to settle allegations of discrimination against families with children in a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department.

Do Your House Rules Discriminate Against Families with Children?

April 22, 2015    

In separate cases, rental communities in Kansas and Missouri and a condominium community in Minnesota recently agreed to pay a combined $280,000 to settle allegations of discrimination against families with children in violation of the Fair Housing Act.

Chicago Housing Providers Accused of Discriminating Against Deaf

March 18, 2015    

Five housing providers in Chicago are facing lawsuits accusing them of discriminating against people who are deaf. The complaints, filed by Access Living earlier this month, allege that the housing providers violated fair housing law by denying rental options to members of the deaf community...

RE Firm Resolves Claims of Housing Discrimination Against Families with Children

February 26, 2015    

A Massachusetts real estate brokerage firm recently agreed to implement fair housing training and adopt new antidiscrimination policies to resolve allegations that it discriminated against families with children in housing rentals. The firm will also pay up to $17,500, including $5,000 to the...

Will High Court Overturn Decades of Fair Housing Law?

January 30, 2015    

Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court took up a major case involving the federal Fair Housing Act, which bans housing discrimination “because of” race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability.

The law clearly prohibits intentional...