On May 29, 2014, the City of Providence, Rhode Island, filed a lawsuit in federal court against Santander Bank, N.A., accusing the bank of discrimination in mortgage lending. The City alleges that since 2009, Santander has deliberately discriminated by refusing to make prime mortgage loans available in minority neighborhoods, in violation of the federal Fair Housing Act. Since it …
lawsuit
Justice Department Increases Civil Monetary Penalties for Fair Housing Violations
On March 28, 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice published a notice increasing the civil monetary penalties for violations of the Fair Housing Act. Under the new rule, which applies to violations that occur on or after April 28, 2014, the maximum civil penalty for a first violation has increased from $55,000 to $75,000, and for subsequent violations …
Pelham, NC, Landlord Order to Pay $36,000 for Race Discrimination
On April 10, 2014, a Virginia landlord with property in Pelham, NC, was ordered to pay $36,000 for discriminating against prospective African American tenants. The landlord, John Sylvania Matthews, III, resides in Danville, VA, and rents property in both Virginia and North Carolina. The case arose in September 2013, when an African American woman called him about a …
HUD Finds City of Dallas in Noncompliance with Fair Housing Laws
In a 29-page letter dated November 22, 2013, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) found that the City of Dallas, TX, was in noncompliance with a number of fair housing and civil rights laws. The finding came as a result of a complaint filed by Curtis Lockey and Craig MacKenzie, affordable housing developers, who had …
HUD, Deutsche Bank Subsidiary Settle Lending Discrimination Case
On November 5, 2013, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that it had reached a settlement with MortgageIT, Inc., Deutsche Bank subsidiary, regarding claims that the lender had discriminated in making mortgage loans. HUD had alleged that the lender discriminated against African American and Hispanic borrowers with practices that led to African Americans and …
Wells Fargo Bank Settles Fair Housing Complaint Over REO Property Maintenance
On June 6, 2013, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., will invest $39 million in 45 communities across the country to settle a fair housing complaint over how it maintained Real Estate Owned (REO) property in a number of communities across the country. REO property is property that a …
Developer to Retrofit NC Apartments to Meet Accessibility Requirements
On November 14, 2012, the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) and the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) announced that they had settled a housing discrimination lawsuit with HHHunt Corporation, a Virginia-based real estate development company that operates apartment complexes in North Carolina, among other states. According to the press release announcing the settlement, HHHunt “agreed to retrofit inaccessible …
Morgan Stanley Sued for Discriminating in Mortgage Lending
On October 15, 2012, five Detroit residents and Michigan Legal Services sued Morgan Stanley for discriminating against African American homeowners by “providing strong incentives to a subprime lender to originate mortgages that were likely to be foreclosed on.” In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs are asking the court to certify a class action that could have …
DOJ Sues North Carolina Landlord for Race Discrimination
On September 25, 2012, the United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the owners and managers of a number of rental homes in Washington, NC, alleging that apartment manager William I. Cochran III discriminated against African American tenants. According to the press release issued by the DOJ: The complaint, filed in the U.S. District …
Landlord Settles Sexual Harassment Suit for $2.13 Million
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 …