The amended complaint, which was filed on October 8, 2021, alleged that defendants Perry Homes Inc., Robert Whittington and Allyson Whittington discriminated on the basis of disability in violation of the Fair Housing Act by implementing a policy of excluding emotional support animals from rental properties they owned or operated in Cranberry, Zelienople, and Harmony, Pennsylvania. (E.D. Currently, USClaims does not conduct business with residents of the European Union/UK. v. INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES PROJECT, INC., ET AL. HUD announced several notable Conciliation Agreements/Voluntary Compliance Agreements from October to December, 2021, including complaints involving language access rights, landlord liability for neighbor harassment, and COVID-19 visitor restrictions. Additional restrictions may apply. On February 2, 2023, the United States filed a complaint in United States v. City of El Paso, Texas, et al. You cant state or imply that donations to your organization support ProPublicas work. Tagged With: criminal background, national origin, race. 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. In its Statement of Interest, the United States addresses the correct legal standard for the Court to apply when determining whether subjecting the home to these conditions would have afforded persons with disabilities an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling under the FHA. 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. The consent order requires Defendants to pay a combined $100,000 to the Complainants, revise their reasonable accommodation policy, attend fair housing training, maintain records regarding reasonable accommodation requests and report to the United States on their compliance with the terms of the Consent Order. 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. No doubt youve made sure your, Now that New Years Eve has come and gone, we find ourselves in a whole new decade that presents property managers with an ever-growing amount. These are things that are typically considered to be reasonable requirements. 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. 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. When Black families and other families of color have limited access to wealth-building through homeownership, this means they also have limited access to educational opportunities, quality health care, and more.. On January 23, 2023, the United States Attorneys office filed an election complaint in United States v. Vernon Morgan(D. Colo.). Legal Aid of North Carolina does not provide legal assistance by email. Mass. Millions of homeowners in Black and Latino communities lost their homes, and these neighborhoods were decimated, said Lisa Rice, President and CEO of NFHA. While we endeavor to ensure that the electronic copies of court documents available on this site are complete and accurate (apart from formatting changes necessitated by the conversion to HTML or PDF format), errors or omissions may occur. When it comes to being discriminated against and purchasing a home, this can also extend into mortgage lending, too. It's fair to be angry and scaredthe direct federal fines for violations of the Fair Housing Act are usually $17,000 per violation; total settlements on race, familial status, age and sex discrimination cases often reach well into the six figuresbut those overwhelming emotions are why you should go straight to your lawyer. Brokers at the countrys largest mortgage lender were found to have raised interest rates and broker fees for more than 30,000 minority customers. Thompson v. HUD - NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Brockbk JV LLC, Dallas Redevelopment Equities LLC, Alden Short, Inc., and Sam Matalone are also named as defendants in the case. Fair Housing Act Cases | HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban In, According to the CDC there are 61 million Americans with disabilities. GTranslate - HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Forward all correspondence with the complainants to your attorney. Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). He lives in Fort Lauderdale, FL with his cat, Sasha, and an unknown number of musical instruments. 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. If you later have to evict because of these issues, and your former tenants accuse you of unlawful discrimination, youll be glad you kept these records. 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. The settlement resolves the groups claims that Fannie Mae treated homes it owned in majority-Black and Latino communities unfavorably. and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A, Shockoe Valley View Apartments Press Release Settlement Agreement Rudeen Development Press Release Settlement Agreement, NFHA v. 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. 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. 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. In FHA cases, the Department can obtain injunctive relief, including affirmative requirements for training and policy changes, monetary damages and, in pattern or practice cases, civil penalties. The mortgage company settled for $2 million in 2010, and set new loan pricing policies and employee training requirements. 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. 3 Center Plaza, Suite 400 Litigation Log - Fair Housing Center of Southeast & Mid Michigan His articles have been published in a number of real estate publications including Wealth and Retirement Planner and Bankrate.com. (W.D. With similar cases pending against private lenders like Bank of America and Deutsche Bank, this recognition has significant meaning. Facebook, in its settlement with fair housing and other civil rights groups last week, said it would withhold a wide array of detailed demographic information including gender, age and Zip . ), a case brought under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). In many cases, they will be obligated to help you mount a defense. National Fair Housing Alliance, Redfin Agree To Settlement Expanding 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. Christie Thompson was an intern at ProPublica. Tex. Fannie Mae has reached a $53 million settlement in a nearly six-year-old complaint filed by the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) and a coalition of local fair housing organizations that accused the enterprise of unequal . 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. vs. Cyprexx Services NFHA et al. 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). Determining whether you have been discriminated against when it comes to buying or renting housing is not always easy. all v. HUD and Paul Rainwater, Executive Director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority. Recent Accomplishments Of The Housing And Civil Enforcement Section Take discrimination and equal housing obligations seriously, especially if youre in a leadership position. 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. The Road Home program was supposed to provide storm victims with funding to rebuild their homes, but based their compensation on their houses original value rather than the cost of damage. 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. This precedent-setting opinionaffirmed both 40 years of legal jurisprudence and the decisions of [], Purpose, Process, and Monitoring Framework (PPM), Discrimination Against the Deaf in Senior Living Facilities. 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 Make sure your errors and omissions insurance is paid up. Just enter your email below and we'll keep you posted when we have new articles. NFHA et al. 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. We provide our members with lorem ipsum placeholder benefits summary. 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. For example, some people may constantly endure harassment from their landlords because of their gender or race. Cal.). Take photos if necessary. The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) announced a settlement agreement today to resolve a fair housing lawsuit that will expand housing opportunities for consumers in communities of color in . US Bank NFHA et al. If you are a resident of the European Union, DO NOT USE THIS SITE. 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 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). 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. 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). PrimeLending incentivized increasing overages (higher interest rates) by providing higher compensation for loan officers. The jury found that the Defendant had engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against persons with disabilities and had denied rights protected by the Fair Housing Act to a group of such persons. In a press release issued last week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved a settlement agreement concluding a disability housing discrimination complaint against the owners and property managers at a community in Pennsylvania. Mo.). Heres an overview of key cases from the foreclosure crisis. Correction:An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to brokers instead of loan officers in the cases involving C&F and PrimeLending. Safeguard Properties NFHA et al. The case centers on Detroit, where from 2004 to 2006, African Americans were 70 percent more likely to receive a subprime loan than white borrowers with the same income and credit background. 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. 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. If an applicant does not meet these requirements, thats one thing. Contact the plaintiff or plaintiffs attorney yourself (in person, over the phone, or via text or email) without your attorney present. You cant republish our material wholesale, or automatically; you need to select stories to be republished individually. The $7.1 million settlement will improve access for people with disabilities at the senior apartment buildings. As we reported last week, the DOJ reached a $335 million settlement, the US largest fair lending settlement on record, using the disparate impact standard. Navigation - United States Department of Housing and Urban Development ), Group Home on Gibson Island LLC v. Gibson Island Corporation (D. Property managers, however, are vulnerable to scams, as well. Contact the Webmaster to submit comments. If you use canonical metadata, please use the ProPublica URL. 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. Read the press release and agreement here. In the case, the plaintiffs alleged that Fannie Mae maintained and marketed its foreclosed homes in predominantly White neighborhoods while allowing homes in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods to fall into disrepair and that this differential treatment exacerbated the damage caused by the 2008 mortgage crisis and impeded recovery from the crisis in neighborhoods of color. Contact the Fair Housing Project or a private attorney if you need to speak with an attorney regarding your particular situation. Equally heartening is that, as a result of our efforts, Fannie Mae has implemented practices that we believe represent the gold standard for maintaining and marketing foreclosed homes equitably.. She studied journalism at Northwestern University, and has written for The Nation, The Chicago Reporter and TheAtlantic.com. The settlement also resolves claims against Fatima Jones and Jones Investing, LLC, which, along with Jones, owned the properties where the alleged harassment occurred. 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. 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. Copyright 2023 Fair Housing Project, a project of Legal Aid North Carolina224 South Dawson Street, Raleigh, NC 27601 1-855-797-3247 info@fairhousingnc.org NFHA said it will invest the vast majority of the settlement directly back into the communities that were harmed. Click here to learn more about overly broad criminal background screening policies and the requirements of subsidized housing providers. You cant sell our material separately or syndicate it. Tex.). Keep careful records of any problematic behaviors exhibited by all tenants. 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. Plaintiffs applied for rental housing but allege they were denied due to their SafeRent Score, a score derived from Defendant SafeRents algorithm-based screening software. Housing and Civil Enforcement Cases | CRT | Department of Justice Screenshot taken on November 3, 2016. (D. *By clicking SUBMIT, I consent to the Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use, including mandatory arbitration. Date Filed: 01/31/1995. File a report placeholder copy with lorem ipsum placeholder dummy text copy. (Subprime loans come with higher interest rates to account for a supposed higher risk of default.) We have official accounts for ProPublica on. Tenn.). The consent order requires the Village to grant Light of the World Gospel Ministries a special use permit to construct a new multi-use building including a church on property it had purchased in a commercial district of the Village. The consent order requires the defendants to pay $40,000 to the HUD complainants, attend fair housing training, and submit to other standard injunctive relief. The lawsuit was originally brought against Redfin in October 2020 by NFHA and nine other fair housing organizations alleging redlining in certain ZIP codes. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. On February 7, 2023, the court entered a consent order in this Fair Housing Act "election" case. 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. The settlement will directly and immediately benefit the communities of color hit hardest by the foreclosure crisis and its aftermath. Mich.). Just enter your email below and we'll keep you posted when we have new articles. Retaliate. v. SafeRent et al. The Department of Justice found that PrimeLending regularly set higher loan prices for African American borrowers. 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. v.Bank of America NFHA et al. Look carefully at the summons if you receive one. (1) The complaints and settlement documents for the cases discussed in the text, as well as other cases handled by the Housing Section, can be found on the Housing Sections website at www.justice.gov/crt/about/hce/caselist.php. (For example, yesterday can be changed to last week, and Portland, Ore. to Portland or here.), You cannot republish our photographs or illustrations without specific permission. 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. In its Statement of Interest, the United States sets out the appropriate standard for pleading disparate impact claims under the FHA and clarifies that the FHAs text and caselaw support the FHAs application to companies providing residential screening services.Press Release (1/9/2023). In 2011, HUD agreed to pay roughly $62 million under a new Blight Reduction Grant Adjustment program. The author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this publication. Its okay to put our stories on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories. The Louis lawsuit was filed on behalf of two plaintiffs, Mary Louis and Monica Douglas, Black rental applicants who use housing vouchers to pay part of their rent. 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. Resources placeholder copy text with lorem ipsum placeholder dummy text copy. (N.D. The official versions of court documents are the versions available from the court. Morgan Stanley filed a motion to dismiss the case at the end of December. Countrywide has not admitted to any discriminatory practice. For example, those with certain disabilities who are discriminated against may also be protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Please contact. On January 3, 2023, the court entered a consent order in United States v. Perry Homes, Inc. (W.D. Whether youre already working with a law firm on this type of case, or youre in the beginning stages of the process, you may be looking for ways to receive money as quickly as possible. The United States filed its, On September 1, 2021, the court entered a, Meet the Head of the Civil Rights Division, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA, Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022, Rental and Sales Discrimination based on Race, Color, National Origin, Familial Status and Religion, Rental and Sales Discrimination based on Disability, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA). Cases & Settlements - NFHA Keep up-to-date with the latest news and housing related activism. In some cases, a real estate agent may discriminate against a homebuyer and only show them certain areas and neighborhoods, despite the buyers location preferences. We provide our members with lorem ipsum placeholder benefits summary. The court also issued a memorandum opinion explaining its rulings. 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. Rental scams 101: 6 strategies property managers can use to keep themselves and their listings safe, Website accessibility and ADA compliance for property managers, 5 housing regulations for 2020: What property managers need to know, Property maintenance services: The complete checklist and guide, 10 property management bookkeeping basics, How does a 1031 exchange work? The settlement with Fannie Mae enables private fair housing organizations to make investments in our communities of color that will advance equal housing opportunities, encourage racial integration, and promote neighborhood stabilization, said Jim McCarthy, President/CEO of the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center in Dayton, Ohio. Additional restrictions may apply. On February 23, 2023, the United States filed a pattern or practice complaint in United States v. Joel Nolen et at. Attempt to justify your actions to housing investigators, except through your attorney. On June 25, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision written by Justice Kennedy, upheld the disparate impact doctrine under the Fair Housing Act. The original complaint was filed on July 23, 2021. On September 8, 2021, the court entered a consent order in United States v. Las Vegas Jaycees (D. Nev.). Housing discrimination can take many forms. Box 26087 Raleigh, NC 27611-6087 1-855-797-3247 info@fairhousingnc.org Our Mission The Fair Housing Project of Legal Aid of North Carolina works to eliminate housing discrimination and to ensure equal housing opportunity for all people through education, outreach, public policy initiatives, advocacy and enforcement. As part of HUD's Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP), FHEO may refer a fair housing complaint to a state or local government agency for investigation. La Maison Investment, LLC is also named as a defendant in the case. If you have a website, make it available online. This includes publishing or syndicating our work on platforms or apps such as Apple News, Google News, etc. 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. The rest of the staff will follow suit. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Government. 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. The DOJ case against Wells Fargo over violation of the Fair Housing Act is the second largest fair lending settlement in the DOJ's history, after the lawsuit against Countrywide Financial. Limit personal contact with plaintiffs as much as practicable. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Government. Here are some examples of housing discrimination. C&F did not require its loan officers to document reasons for changing a customer's interest rate from the standard rate, and increased compensation for loan officers who charged higher loan prices. Get our investigations delivered to your inbox with the Big Story newsletter. This nationwide homeownership initiative is led by the National Fair Housing Alliance. This complaint wascharged by HUD. vs. Deutsche Bank NFHA et al. Some say HUDs new guideline could be the deciding factor in whether the standard will withstand the Supreme Courts scrutiny. Give applicants a copy of your written tenant selection plan.