Cases and Settlements

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The Justice Department recently announced that the developers of six multifamily housing complexes in southern Mississippi have agreed to pay $350,000 to settle claims that they violated the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act by building apartment complexes that were inaccessible to persons with disabilities.

HUD recently announced a $70,000 settlement in a case alleging discrimination based on familial status and disability at a Colorado community. The settlement resolves HUD complaints filed by a fair housing group and a Denver-area family with children, accusing the community’s owners and property manager of having a “no kids” policy and limiting housing options for persons with disabilities.

The Justice Department recently filed a statement of interest in a lawsuit challenging the use of criminal background checks at a New York community. In its brief, the Justice Department argued that the Fair Housing Act (FHA) requires that landlords who consider criminal records in evaluating prospective tenants do not use overly broad generalizations that disproportionately disqualify people based on a legally protected characteristic, such as race or national origin.

Last week, HUD announced settlements in fair housing cases alleging disability discrimination at rental housing communities in Massachusetts and Nevada. In a separate case, HUD filed similar charges against landlords in Florida.

The Justice Department recently announced that the Bossier City, La., Housing Authority (BCHA) has agreed to pay $120,000 and adopt new policies to settle a lawsuit alleging discrimination based on race and disability under fair housing law.

The owners and managers of four multifamily apartment complexes in Utah recently agreed to pay $45,000 to settle a fair housing case alleging discrimination against residents with disabilities who wanted to live with their assistance animals.

HUD recently charged the owner of a Massachusetts community with housing discrimination for refusing to rent an apartment to a couple with children because the unit was located on the third floor. The charge will be heard by an administrative law judge unless either party elects to take it to court.

HUD filed the charge on behalf of a couple who allegedly were denied the opportunity to rent the third-floor unit because they have a 3-year-old son. The couple was also expecting their second child when they were searching for an apartment, according to HUD.

The owners and operators of seven Michigan communities recently agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging that they discriminated against families with children by prohibiting them from renting one-bedroom units. Under the settlement, the communities agreed to pay $20,000 into a settlement fund, along with a $5,000 civil penalty, and to eliminate the alleged restrictions. 

The Justice Department recently announced a $200,000 settlement with a company that owns and operates dozens of on-base and off-base military housing communities in California based on allegations that it unlawfully evicted active-duty servicemembers and their families in violation of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). The case marks the first time that the Justice Department has filed suit alleging the unlawful eviction of servicemembers from their homes.

The owners and manager of a Colorado community recently agreed to pay $75,000 to settle a fair housing case alleging discrimination against families with children, according to an announcement by the Justice Department. Based on testing conducted by a local fair housing organization, the complaint alleged that the property manager told prospects that families with children were generally placed in units in the rear building and did not offer prospects with children the opportunity to consider available units in the front building.