Cases and Settlements

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The Justice Department recently announced that it has filed a lawsuit against a Staten Island, N.Y., realty company and its former rental agent, alleging discrimination against African Americans in violation of federal fair housing law when offering housing units for rent. The lawsuit is based on the results of testing conducted by the department’s Fair Housing Testing Program, in which individuals pose as renters to gather information about possible discriminator...

The Justice Department recently announced that a manager of rental properties in and around Harrisonburg, Va., together with owners of the properties, will pay $335,000 to resolve allegations that the manager sexually harassed multiple female residents and discriminated in housing on the basis of race in violation of federal fair housing law.

HUD recently announced that it has approved a settlement between the owner and managers of rental properties in California and a couple who alleged that the housing providers refused to rent a two-bedroom unit to them because they have three children. Under the settlement, the housing providers agreed, among other things, to pay $6,000 to the couple.

District of Columbia Attorney General Karl A. Racine recently announced that his office has filed three lawsuits alleging housing discrimination by seven real estate companies and professionals operating in the district.

HUD recently approved three settlements with the owners and property management company of an Arkansas community, resolving allegations that they discriminated against several residents by evicting them because of their national origin and retaliated against an employee living on site who sought to inform the residents of their fair housing rights.

HUD recently charged a New Jersey condominium association with housing discrimination after its management company allegedly refused to allow a resident with disabilities to keep an assistance animal.

Federal fair housing law prohibits housing providers from denying or limiting housing to people with disabilities, or from refusing to make reasonable accommodations so that those with disabilities can use and enjoy their housing.

The Justice Department recently sued the owner of rental properties in New Jersey with violating federal fair housing law by subjecting female residents to sexual harassment. The complaint alleged that the defendant, who owns hundreds of rental units in and around Elizabeth, N.J., has subjected residents and applicants to sexual harassment on multiple occasions since at least 2005.

In July 2020, HUD announced that it has approved a settlement requiring a California housing authority to pay $7,500 to a resident with a disability to resolve allegations that its staff violated fair housing law when they delayed installing additional grab bars in a unit in response to the resident’s reasonable accommodation request.

The Justice Department recently announced that the owners, developers, and builders of 82 multifamily housing communities have agreed to make extensive modifications to their properties and pay $475,000 to resolve claims that they violated the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act by designing and constructing apartment complexes that are inaccessible to persons with disabilities.

In June 2020, a court denied a Texas resident’s request for an emergency order to allow him to fence off his yard because his disability—a compromised immune system—left him vulnerable to COVID-19 exposure to passing strangers.

The resident owned a single-family home in a community governed by a homeowners association (HOA). Under the community’s rules, any construction to community properties, such as installation of a fence, must be preap...