), United States v. Premiere Holdings, Inc. (D. Nev.), United States v. City of El Paso, Texas, et al. The case involved fair housing testing. When in doubt, use their attorney. 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. Screenshot taken on November 3, 2016. 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. If you share republished stories on social media, wed appreciate being tagged in your posts. Safeguard Properties NFHA et al. Develop a written tenant selection plan and stick to it. 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. Keep up-to-date with the latest news and housing related activism. vs. Deutsche Bank NFHA et al. Summaries are included below. 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 . The author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this publication. 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? On October 7, 2021, HUD announced it approved a Conciliation Agreement between the owners of an apartment complex in Tucson, AZ, and a same-sex African-American couple residing at the complex. 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. Voting and Election Resourceswww.vote.gov, 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. 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. Investigation After a formal complaint is filed, we investigate the allegations. 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. v. SafeRent et al. ), United States v. Vernon C. Morgan (D. Colo.), United States v. City National Bank (C.D. Official websites use .gov 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. (W.D. Speak to the media, even if there is interest, unless your attorney has a chance to review any statements. This includes publishing or syndicating our work on platforms or apps such as Apple News, Google News, etc. This lawsuit, brought under the Fair Housing Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504, and state law, challenged the Dallas Housing Authority's cancellation of project-based housing subsidies that would have permitted adults with disabilities to live in integrated homes in the community. In the case involving SunTrust, the story has been updated to include loan officers as well as brokers. Todays agreement has far-reaching implications. Keep up with our investigations by following us onFacebookandTwitter, or read more about the Fair Housing Act, andhow the government betrayed a landmark civil rights law. Website by Tomatillo Design, Shut Out of Housing: Legal Protections for Domestic Violence Survivors, Religious Discrimination under the Fair Housing Act. Though C&F denied allegations of discrimination, they settled for $140,000 and began reviewing employees' compliance with nondiscrimination standards, specifically their justification for large interest rate adjustments. If youre already a member, login to access this page. You also be protected under additional laws if you live in federal housing and you believe you have been a victim of discrimination. The grants will also include innovative programs and partnerships to promote fair housing. 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. Tagged With: criminal background, national origin, race. 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. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, and disability. In 2011, HUD agreed to pay roughly $62 million under a new Blight Reduction Grant Adjustment program. 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. 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 December 28, 2021, HUD announced a Conciliation/Voluntary Compliance Agreement with the owners and management agents of four HUD-subsidized apartment complexes in southern California, resolving allegations that the property managers refused to rent to or provide adequate language services for applicants with limited English proficiency (LEP). The complaint alleges that the defendants discriminated on the basis of disability in violation of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) by refusing to allow the complainant to live with her assistance animal. 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. Legal Aid of North Carolina does not provide legal assistance by email. 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. 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. Their attorneys will probably be much more experienced in defending landlords in discrimination-related lawsuits than anyone youre likely to stumble upon in the Yellow Pages. Millions of homeowners in Black and Latino communities lost their homes, and these neighborhoods were decimated, said Lisa Rice, President and CEO of NFHA. Legal Aid of North Carolina does not provide legal assistance by email. The settlement will help rebuild and strengthen communities of color in 39 metropolitan areas. United States v. Premiere Holdings, Inc. (D. Nev.) Overview. The fair housing groups are represented by noted civil rights law firms Relman Colfax PLLC and Dane Law LLC. Pa.). The case was referred to the Division after the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) received two complaints from unit owners, completed an investigation on the first complaint, and issued a charge of discrimination. The settlement resolves the groups claims that Fannie Mae treated homes it owned in majority-Black and Latino communities unfavorably. He lives in Fort Lauderdale, FL with his cat, Sasha, and an unknown number of musical instruments. With similar cases pending against private lenders like Bank of America and Deutsche Bank, this recognition has significant meaning. We provide our members with lorem ipsum placeholder benefits summary. On January 23, 2023, the United States Attorneys office filed an election complaint in United States v. Vernon Morgan(D. Colo.). 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. On February 7, 2023, the court entered a consent order in this Fair Housing Act election case. 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. 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 . Learn to identify discrimination with lorem ipsum placeholder dummy text copy. Cal.). 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. Tenn.). She studied journalism at Northwestern University, and has written for The Nation, The Chicago Reporter and TheAtlantic.com. 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. 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. (Subprime loans come with higher interest rates to account for a supposed higher risk of default.) Just enter your email below and we'll keep you posted when we have new articles. 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. Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center et. (E.D. United Road Towing, Inc. d/b/a UR Vehicle Management Solutions and Rod Robertson Enterprises, Inc. are also named as defendants in the case. Additional protection may also be available in other situations, too. Contact the plaintiff or plaintiffs attorney yourself (in person, over the phone, or via text or email) without your attorney present. Read the full Press Release and Agreement here. (N.D. The Justice Deptartment charged C&F Mortgage with violating the FHA and ECOA by raising interest rates for black and Hispanic mortgage customers. Keep up-to-date with the latest news and housing related activism. Official websites use .gov According to the laws of the Fair Housing Act, the following types of discrimination when it comes to housing decisions and certain types of activities is illegal: Disabilities Ethnic background Race Gender Family status Religion USClaims is making your Litigation Funding Simplified. For example, a real estate agent may refuse to work with someone based solely on the color of their skin, or they may lie about whether a certain home is still available. 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. The FHJC's latest lawsuit involves a 60-unit Queens apartment building and an architect with a troubled Fair Housing Justice Center on LinkedIn: "Apparently, persons with disabilities don . 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. Give applicants a copy of your written tenant selection plan. (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. If you believe your mortgage application was turned down for an unfair reason and that you were strictly discriminated against, you may be eligible to pursue monetary compensation in a lawsuit. (N.D. Ga.): On December 30, 2021, the United States Attorneys Office entered into a, On December 28, 2021, the court entered a, On December 22, 2021, the United States filed an, On December 10, 2021, the court entered the, On December 6, 2021, the United States Attorneys office filed a Fair Housing Act (FHA) election, On August 30, 2021, the United States Attorneys Office filed an election, On June 30, 2021, the United States Attorney's Office filed a, On April 11, 2021, the United States Attorneys Office filed a Fair Housing Act (FHA) election, On February 22, 2021, the court entered a, On September 28, 2022, the Court entered a partial, On September 26, 2022, the United States filed a, On September 21, 2021, the court entered an, On July 26, 2022, a federal jury awarded $293,000 in damages against the City of Springfield, Illinois in, On December 27, 2021, the court entered a, On November 24, 2020, the United States filed a pattern or practice, On November 6, 2020, the United States entered into an, On June 4, 2020, the United States filed a, On October 19, 2022, the United States filed a, On February 1, 2018, theUnited Statesentered into a, On November 15, 2022, the United States filed a, On October 14, 2021, the United States filed a, On February 2, 2023, the United States filed a, On September 27, 2022, the parties entered into an addendum to the, On September 2, 2022, the court entered a, On April 15, 2022, the United States filed a, On October 21, 2021, the court entered a consent decree in. Black and Hispanic homeowners also were encouraged to take on riskier subprime loans. As the trade association for over 170 fair housing and justice-centered organizations throughout the U.S. and its territories, NFHA works to dismantle longstanding barriers to equity and build diverse, inclusive, well-resourced communities. 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 rest of the staff will follow suit. Join our blog newsletter to stay up to date on property management industry insights. 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.. The company also agreed to institute new pricing policies and employee training policies. Limit personal contact with plaintiffs as much as practicable. 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. 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. On February 23, 2023, the United States filed a pattern or practice complaint in United States v. Joel Nolen et at. vs. The agents steered the white home seekers away from interracial neighborhoods in Jackson, which is majority African American, and into majority white areas. On November 21, 2022, the United States Attorneys Office filed an election complaint in United States v. Hannah, et al. This nationwide homeownership initiative is led by the National Fair Housing Alliance. We provide our members with lorem ipsum placeholder benefits summary. 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 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. For example, if their rental application was turned down for a questionable or unclear reason, its possible that the applicant was discriminated against. (E.D. To view this content you must be a paying member. Property managers, however, are vulnerable to scams, as well. 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. 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. Its 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. Morgan Stanley profited by bundling and selling those loans to investors, allegedly knowing borrowers were likely to default. The lawsuit was originally brought against Redfin in October 2020 by NFHA and nine other fair housing organizations alleging redlining in certain ZIP codes. Conversely, the African American testers who inquired about [], TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS, ET AL. *By clicking SUBMIT, I consent to the Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use, including mandatory arbitration. Contact USClaims today to learn more and get started! Your attorney can help determine whether a certain situation qualifies as discrimination and if so, he or she may be willing to represent you in a fair housing lawsuit. The plaintiffs will manage and disburse the settlement funds, providing much-needed grants, including down-payment assistance for first-generation homebuyers and renovations for homes that languished in foreclosure. What property managers should know. Flack v. Wisconsin Department of Health Services 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. Nobody should ever be discriminated against when it comes to finding a home, but alas, this does happen. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. In this complaint, testing revealed that agents of the Lee Garland and Rita Jensen Team of RE/MAX Alliance discriminated on the basis of race. We use MailChimp as our e-mail automation platform. We won't share your email address and you can unsubscribe at any time. To view this content you must be a paying member. But, there are some things you can do to make yourself a less tempting target for lawsuits, maximize the likelihood that a judge will drop the case, or set yourself up for a more favorable settlement. Currently, USClaims does not conduct business with residents of the European Union/UK. Fair Housing Project P.O. Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Housing discrimination can take many forms. ), Remarks of Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke (1/12/2023), Louis et al. Pa.). v.Bank of America NFHA et al. The consent order requires the defendants to pay $10,000 in monetary damages to the HUD complainants, attend fair housing training, and submit to other standard injunctive relief. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Provide each applicant with a written notice explaining that you intend to comply with all applicable fair housing laws, that you do not discriminate against anyone on the basis of race, religion, sex, age, family status, national origin, disability or any other protected category in your jurisdiction. 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. Keep careful records of any problematic behaviors exhibited by all tenants. The case was the first to charge the secondary mortgage market, and not just mortgage companies themselves, with violating the Fair Housing Act. The Fair Housing Project ofLegal Aid of North Carolinaworks to eliminate housing discrimination and to ensure equal housing opportunity for all people through education, outreach, public policy initiatives, advocacy and enforcement. 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 consent order requires the defendants to undergo fair housing training, adopt non-discrimination and reasonable accommodation policies, submit periodic reports to the United States, pay $35,000 to compensate the complainants, and vacate a small claims judgment against one complainant. The case was based on HUD complaints filed by each household. Viewour complete disclaimer. 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). At USClaims, we offer pre-settlement funding, which is also frequently referred to as a lawsuit advance. On February 2, 2023, the United States filed a complaint in United States v. City of El Paso, Texas, et al. If youre already a member, login to access this page. However, if you do feel like something is not quite right, it may be worth taking the next step. 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. Cal.). Here are some examples of housing discrimination. Several cases we have filed or resolved recently exemplify our efforts to ensure the availability of the housing opportunities guaranteed by the Fair Housing Act. Mo.). The Department of Justice found that PrimeLending regularly set higher loan prices for African American borrowers. The court also issued a memorandum opinion explaining its rulings. The author and publisher of this press release are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this publication. Look carefully at the summons if you receive one. Christie Thompson was an intern at ProPublica. Read about []. Others may be evicted from their homes for no reason other than their ethnicity or religion. In certain circumstances, FHEO may initiate a compliance review based on the information submitted in a complaint. 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. 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.
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