Cases and Settlements

RSS

For the third time in recent years, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether the Fair Housing Act bans discrimination based on disparate impact—that is, practices that have a discriminatory effect on members of a protected class, even if there’s no intentional discrimination. Twice before, the Court agreed to decide on the issue, but the cases were settled before it had a chance to issue a ruling.

The owners and operators of a Michigan community recently agreed to pay $550,000 and to terminate its property manager to settle a lawsuit for sexual harassment in violation of fair housing law.

The Justice Department filed the complaint, accusing the former manager of sexually harassing female residents at the community he managed. The lawsuit included the owners of the complex and claimed that they were liable for his actions.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) recently announced a settlement in its lawsuit against the city of Norristown, Pa., challenging a municipal ordinance that allegedly punished domestic violence victims and their landlords for requesting police assistance.

The ACLU filed the lawsuit on behalf of a domestic violence victim, who allegedly faced eviction after requesting police protection from an abusive ex-boyfriend. As part of the settlement, the city agreed...

The manager and owner of a Cleveland community recently agreed to pay $100,000 to resolve allegations that they violated federal fair housing law by refusing to rent units at the 205-unit complex to families with children.

Earlier this month, HUD charged Kent State University and four of its employees with housing discrimination for allegedly refusing to allow a student with disabilities to keep an emotional support animal in her campus apartment.

The Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to refuse to make reasonable accommodations in policies or practices when a person with a disability requires such an accommodation, including refusing to grant waivers to “no pet” policie...

The owners and managers of two New Hampshire communities recently agreed to settle allegations that they engaged in housing discrimination by refusing to rent to a woman who was a victim of domestic violence.

The owners and operators of a California community recently agreed to pay $80,000 to settle allegations that its rules discriminated against families with children in violation of the Fair Housing Act.

The lawsuit arose from HUD complaints filed by five families who lived at the 37-unit community. They alleged that the community enforced a rule that prohibited children from playing outside in the common grassy areas of the complex and stated that families would be...

An administrative judge in Maryland recently ruled that a condominium community violated state fair housing law by denying a resident’s request for a reserved parking space as a reasonable accommodation for her disability, according to the Maryland Civil Rights Commission.

Two realty companies and a broker in Connecticut recently agreed to pay $24,000 to settle allegations that they published discriminatory listings and advertisements for condominiums specifying that children were not permitted.

Federal fair housing law makes it unlawful to refuse to sell or rent housing on the basis of familial status, which includes refusing to allow families with children under 18, unless the property qualifies as housing for older persons.

The Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center (GNOFHAC) recently sued the owner of a New Orleans community for alleged discrimination against deaf individuals seeking to rent apartments based on the results of a fair housing investigation last year.