The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Ashland Housing Authority (AHA) settled a Fair Housing Act (FHA) discrimination lawsuit on Tuesday. Get our investigations delivered to your inbox with the Big Story newsletter. On January 3, 2023, the court entered a consent order in United States v. Perry Homes, Inc. (W.D. 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. 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. Contact the Fair Housing Project or a private attorney if you need to speak with an attorney regarding your particular situation. 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.. 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? 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. ), Group Home on Gibson Island LLC v. Gibson Island Corporation (D. Neb.) 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. Mich.). 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. 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. The complaint alleges that City National Bank (City National), violated the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and the Fair Housing Act (FHA) by engaging in unlawful redlining in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Division (Los Angeles County) by avoiding providing credit services to majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods because of the race, color, and national origin of the people living in those neighborhoods. The agents steered the white home seekers away from interracial neighborhoods in Jackson, which is majority African American, and into majority white areas. 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. Discuss any factual matters related to the case with anyone other than your attorney. 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. Cal.). Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Government. Keep up-to-date with the latest news and housing related activism. The consent order requires the defendants to pay SWPLS $15,000 in damages, to comply with the Fair Housing Act, adopt a reasonable accommodation policy, publicize the policy in applications, leases, tenant renewals, and in its rental office, provide training for its employees, and comply with other equitable terms. 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. Individuals can also contact the U.S. Attorney's Office Civil Rights Hotline at (855) 281-3339. Purpose, Process, and Monitoring Framework (PPM), Discrimination Against the Deaf in Senior Living Facilities, 2 and 2.5 times more likely to be foreclosed, Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California, Fair Housing Center of the Greater Palm Beaches, Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia. For example, some people may constantly endure harassment from their landlords because of their gender or race. Look carefully at the summons if you receive one. The amended complaint, which was filed on January 12, 2021, alleged that the Village violated the substantial burden and equal terms provisions of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) by denying Light of the World Gospel Ministries, a non-denominational Christian church, a permit to construct a new church in the Village. 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. Mo.). We do not generally permit translation of our stories into another language. 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. Shut off the tenants utilities, except as specifically provided for in your jurisdictions eviction laws. You cant state or imply that donations to your organization support ProPublicas work. 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 author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this publication. We use MailChimp as our e-mail automation platform. [] On January 23, 2023, the United States Attorneys office filed an election complaint in United States v. Vernon Morgan(D. Colo.). The complaint alleges that the defendants discriminated on the basis of disability in violation of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) by refusing to allow complainants, who received their SSI and SSDI payments around the third of every month, to pay their rent by the fifth of the month. The case was based on HUD complaints filed by each household. 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. 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.. Determining whether you have been discriminated against when it comes to buying or renting housing is not always easy. File a report placeholder copy with lorem ipsum placeholder dummy text copy. If you are justified under the law, youll still be justified when your attorney makes your points for you. Contact the Webmaster to submit comments. 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. Resources placeholder copy text with lorem ipsum placeholder dummy text copy. NFHA et al. 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 vs. Deutsche Bank NFHA 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. 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. His articles have been published in a number of real estate publications including Wealth and Retirement Planner and Bankrate.com. Some say HUDs new guideline could be the deciding factor in whether the standard will withstand the Supreme Courts scrutiny. In, According to the CDC there are 61 million Americans with disabilities. On November 23, 2022, the United States filed a Statement of Interest in Group Home on Gibson Island LLC v. Gibson Island Corporation (D. The settlement will directly and immediately benefit the communities of color hit hardest by the foreclosure crisis and its aftermath. 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. The plaintiffs collected more than 49,000 photographs revealing poorly maintained properties in Black and Latino communities, particularly as compared to properties in predominantly White neighborhoods. Mich.). 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. The materials contained on this website are for information and education purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. ), a case brought under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). 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 republish our material wholesale, or automatically; you need to select stories to be republished individually. If the complainant is a tenant or someone you know, your first instinct may be to go give them a piece of your mind (over email, phone, or even in person). Additional restrictions may apply. 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. Keep up-to-date with the latest news and housing related activism. We provide our members with lorem ipsum placeholder benefits summary. The court also issued a memorandum opinion explaining its rulings. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Read the full Press Release and Agreement here. 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.

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