Cases and Settlements

RSS

HUD recently accused the owners and managers of a high-rise complex in New York City with violating fair housing law by refusing to allow a resident with disabilities to have an emotional support animal. Federal fair housing law requires housing providers to make reasonable accommodations in policies or practices when a person with a disability requires such accommodations, including granting waivers to “no-pet” policies for persons who require assistance or support animals, according to HUD.

A New-York based property management company recently agreed to settle fair housing claims alleging discrimination against families with children based on enforcement of occupancy standards in five properties in three states.

The University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) and the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska recently agreed to pay $140,000 to two former students to settle a fair housing lawsuit involving assistance animals in student housing.

The owners and operators of a mobile home park in Marion, Ill., recently agreed to pay $75,000 to settle allegations that they violated fair housing law by discriminating against African Americans and families with children. 

Real estate agents in Mississippi were recently accused of race discrimination in a HUD complaint filed by the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA). During a year-long investigation, NFHA said it conducted a series of tests in which similarly qualified white and black testers posed as home buyers and contacted the company to view homes in Jackson, Miss.

The Justice Department recently announced a $2 million settlement with the Housing Authority of Los Angeles County, and the cities of Lancaster, Calif., and Palmdale, Calif., to resolve allegations that they targeted African Americans with discriminatory enforcement of the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program.

The owners and operators of an Illinois mobile home community recent agreed to pay $251,500 to settle a lawsuit alleging discrimination based on race and familial status, according to the Justice Department.

In a recent settlement, a continuing care retirement community in Virginia agreed to pay $390,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the fair housing law by instituting policies that discriminated against residents with disabilities.

Fair housing authorities in Seattle recently filed discrimination complaints against 13 rental property owners after on-site fair housing testing uncovered evidence of housing discrimination. The Seattle Office for Civil Rights (SOCR) reported that 12 have agreed to settlements requiring them to reimburse the city for the costs of testing, provide employees with fair housing training, provide funding for a fair housing campaign, and post fair housing notices in their properties to inform residents of their rights.

On June 25, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal fair housing law applies to discrimination claims based on their discriminatory effect on members of protected classes—even if there’s no intent to discriminate.