January 5, 2018 – The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it is delaying implementation of a rule intended to address housing discrimination and segregation in local communities across the country. Implementation of the Affirmatively Further Fair Housing (AHHF) rule, which was adopted in July 2015, will be postponed until …
Fair Housing Project Celebrates its 6th Year, $5.25 Million Won for Victims of Discrimination
RALEIGH, April 28, 2017 – When fair housing advocates gather for Raleigh’s 14th Annual Fair Housing Conference on April 28, they will have much to celebrate: national Fair Housing Month, the federal Fair Housing Act’s 49th anniversary, and our nation’s continuing commitment to the principle of equal housing for all. Advocates from Legal Aid of …
North Carolina Mobile Home Property Owners Settle Fair Housing Lawsuit
RALEIGH, February 15, 2017 – The Plaintiffs and Defendants in a federal housing discrimination lawsuit announced today that they had settled, resulting in dismissal of the federal complaint. The lawsuit alleged that plaintiffs had been discriminatorily evicted from a mobile home as a result of being in an interracial relationship. The defendants in the case denied the plaintiffs’ …
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 …
Settlement of Royal Oak Concerned Citizens Assn, et al. v. Brunswick County Lawsuit
The Royal Oak Concerned Citizens Association case against Brunswick County was resolved on June 16, 2014 with the County’s approval of the settlement agreement. See the Star News article from June 18, 2014 for more information about the settlement. The UNC Center for Civil Rights initiated the lawsuit in Brunswick County Superior Court in June …
Court Allows Justice Dept. Discrimination Case Against NC Landlord to Proceed
On August 13, 2014, United States District Court Judge Louise Flanagan refused to dismiss a lawsuit alleging a Washington, NC, landlord with racial discrimination. The lawsuit, brought by the U.S. Department of Justice in September 2012, alleges that William I. Cochran, III, and several entities that he is affiliated with discriminated against African American tenants over …
United Nations Panel Calls for U.S. Gov’t to Address Housing Discrimination
On August 29, 2014, the United Nations’ Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination issued a report calling on the United States government to take further steps to address housing discrimination in the nation. The report, which was based on submissions that the U.S. government made to the panel in August 2014, looked at a number of areas …
Pinehurst Settles Discrimination Case Over Affordable Housing
On June 4, 2014, the Village of Pinehurst agreed to settle a fair housing discrimination claim brought by developers and residents over the Village’s refusal to allow an affordable housing project to be developed for senior citizens. As part of the settlement, the Village will agree to make the zoning changes necessary for the 56-unit development …
Rhode Island City Sues Santander Bank for Redlining
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 …
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 …