On September 14, 2016, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a final rule setting out legal standards under the Fair Housing Act for sexual and other forms of harassment in housing. HUD and courts have long held that harassment in housing or housing-related transactions on the basis of race, color, national …
HUD, HHS, DOJ Issue Joint Letter re Immigrant Access to Housing & Services
On August 5, 2016, the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), issued a joint letter regarding immigrant access to housing and services. The letter reminds recipients of federal funds that certain housing and services, such as emergency …
Justice Dept. Publishes Final Rule to Restore Broad “Disability” Definition for ADA
On August 11, 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a final rule to amend its Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations in order to incorporate the statutory changes to the ADA set forth in the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA), which had taken effect on January 1, 2009. According to a press release issued …
HUD Increases Civil Penalty Amounts for Fair Housing Violations
On June 15, 2016, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published new inflation-adjusted civil penalty amounts for individuals or entities that have been found to have violated a variety of different housing-related laws, including the federal Fair Housing Act. The new civil penalty amounts will apply to violations of the Fair Housing Act …
Fidelity Bank Agrees to Invest $1 Million to Settle Discrimination Complaint
On April 22, 2016, the Fair Housing Project of Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) announced that it had settled a fair housing complaint it had brought against North Carolina-based The Fidelity Bank. The complaint, which had been filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), had alleged that African American prospective borrowers …
HUD Issues Guidance on Criminal History and Fair Housing
On April 4, 2016, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued guidance on “how the Fair Housing Act applies to the use of criminal history by providers or operators of housing and real-estate related transactions.” The guidance, issued by HUD’s Office of General Counsel, concludes that while the Fair Housing Act does …
Registration Open for Seniors & Fair Housing Law CLE, 5/6/16
Registration is now open for the Seniors and Fair Housing Law Continuing Legal Education (CLE) program to be held on Friday, May 6, 2016, in Raleigh, NC. The event will provide North Carolina attorneys with up to four CLE credits, including one credit of ethics (approval pending). Registration for the event, which includes a continental …
Registration Now Open for April 15, 2016, Raleigh Fair Housing Conference
Registration is now open for the 13th Annual Fair Housing Conference in Raleigh, NC, which will be held on Friday, April 15, 2016. The event is being sponsored by the City of Raleigh Fair Housing Hearing Board and the Fair Housing Project of Legal Aid of North Carolina. The keynote speaker at the conference will be …
Annual Raleigh Fair Housing Conference Scheduled for April 15, 2016
On Friday, April 15, 2016, the City of Raleigh Fair Housing Hearing Board and the Fair Housing Project of Legal Aid of North Carolina will sponsor the 13th Annual Fair Housing Conference. The keynote speaker at the conference will be civil rights attorney John Relman, one of the nation’s foremost fair housing and civil rights …
North Carolina Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) Schedule
The National Low Income Housing Coalition has released a series of documents listing the schedules for state and local governments to complete Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) reports in North Carolina and around the country. Under HUD’s 2015 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, recipients of certain HUD funding are required to complete an AFH to …