On September 11, 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the settlement of a sexual harassment case brought against a California landlord accused of sexually harassing over 25 tenants. As part of the settlement, landlord Rawland Leon Sorensen will pay $2.13 million in monetary damages and civil penalties. According to the Justice Department’s press release …
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DOJ, NC Settle Lawsuit Over Housing for People With Mental Illness
On August 23, 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice and the State of North Carolina announced the settlement of a lawsuit concerning North Carolina’s inadequate provision of housing for people with mental illness. The settlement is designed to ensure that North Carolina’s mental health service system is in compliance with federal law, including the Americans …
DOJ Settles Discrimination Suit With Wells Fargo; Bank to Provide $175 Million in Relief
On July 12, 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a $175 million settlement — the second largest fair lending settlement in the department’s history — to resolve allegations that Wells Fargo Bank engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against qualified African-American and Hispanic borrowers in its mortgage lending from 2004 through 2009. Under …
DOJ Announces $10 Million Settlement in Disability Discrimination Case
On June 25, 2012, the Justice Department announced its largest-ever disability-based housing discrimination settlement fund to resolve allegations that JPI Construction L.P. and six other related entities based in Irving, Texas, discriminated on the basis of disability in the design and construction of multifamily housing complexes throughout the United States. In a press release announcing the settlement, …
Bank of America to Pay $160,000 to Settle Maternity Discrimination Claim
On June 7, 2012, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that Bank of America agreed to pay up to $161,180 to settle allegations that one of the bank’s brances in San Jose, California, refused to refinance the mortgage of woman because she was on maternity leave. HUD reached the agreement with Bank of …
Court Rules Against Westchester County, NY; HUD Withholds CDBG Funds
On May 3, 2012, U.S. District Court Judge Denise Cote held that the Westchester County, New York, violated a 2010 consent decree designed to address racial and ethnic segregation in the County. The ruling concerned legislation in the County that would have prohibited landlords from considering a tenant’s “source of income” in making rental decisions. Under the terms …
NC Fair Housing Project Awarded New HUD Grant
On May 9, 2012, the Fair Housing Project of Legal Aid of North Carolina was awarded a $325,000 grant to allow it to continue its enforcement and education work throughout the State during 2012-2013. The one-year grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will fund legal assistance and referral services to …
Justice Dept. Settles Lending Suit Involving Pregnancy Discrimination
On April 30, 2012, the United States Department of Justice announced the settlement of a lawsuit against the Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation (MGIC) for discriminating against women on maternity leave in violation of the Fair Housing Act. According to its press release, the settlement is the DOJ’s first involving discrimination against women and families in mortgage …
44th Anniversary of Fair Housing Act
April 11, 2012, marks the 44th anniversary of the signing of the federal Fair Housing Act. The law’s enactment came after several years of debate in Congress and was spurred by the April 4, 1968, assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The original 1968 fair housing law prohibited discrimination based on race, color, …
Greensboro Homeless Shelter, Residents Sue State for Disability Discrimination
Mary’s House, the owner and operator of a shelter and transitional living facility in Greensboro, North Carolina, filed a lawsuit in federal court on February 17, 2012, alleging that the State’s decision to stop funding its programs was based on disability-based discrimination in violation of the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and other laws. Joining Mary’s House …