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Treasure Island Plundered With 3.725 Million Dollar Settlement

In a rare, multi-million dollar settlement, the Code Enforcement Board (CEB) of The City of Treasure Island, agreed to pay the sum of 3.7 million dollars to Gulf Coast Recovery, and its proprietor, Matthew Schwarz in a settlement agreement after several unsuccessful attempts at litigation. A small city on Florida’s gulf coast, Treasure Island’s population of 7,500 doubles during the winter months; the warm climate and attractive coastal location a favorite of vacationers and “snowbirds” (a Floridian term for retirees from northern states). As a result, the City of Treasure Island’s zoning scheme has come up with unique ordinances to deal with the ebb and flow of its population throughout the year. The City created a limit on the number of times a “single family or two family dwelling” can change occupancy during a twelve month period in certain areas zoned for single-family dwellings, in order to keep vacationers and snowbirds from disrupting “the sense of community of its permanent r

Traffic on The Road Home: Delayed Due to Construction

Some five years after Hurricane Katrina dissipated, its after effects continue to ring out in Louisiana. But the bell tolls louder for some, than others. The Road Home (TRH) program was designed by former Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco, whose mission is “to provide compensation to Louisiana homeowners affected by Hurricanes Katrina or Rita for the damage to their homes.” Claiming themselves to be “the largest single housing recovery program in U.S. history”, The program’s objective is “to provide compensation to Louisiana homeowners affected by Hurricanes Katrina or Rita for the damage to their homes.” TRH came about as a block grant program to assist in the recovery of the region ravaged by hurricane Katrina. These grants were placed in the State of Louisiana for designation. Approximately $11 billion was allocated for TRH, which was developed by the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA). The Department of Housing and Urban Development, or, HUD, also helped develop TRH. HUD is also t

Can Landlords Discriminate Based on Arrest Records?

Marie Claire Tran-Leung disagrees. According to Tran-Leung, “Landlords and local housing authorities should stop using arrest records to screen tenants.” She states that doing so does “more harm than good.” Although it is illegal for landlords to discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disabilities, and other protected classes under the Federal Fair Housing Act, most states have also applied protection to other classes. For example, the State of Illinois prohibits discrimination based on ancestry, age, marital status, and sexual orientation. Discrimination against people with arrest records, however, is legal. But should it be? Tran-Leung claims that discrimination based on arrest records “give[s] people a false sense of security against crime, and they deprive disproportionately more racial minorities of needed rental housing for nothing more than an unproven accusation.” Read the full story here . Tran-Leung cites a recent decision by the Illinois Appellate

Race discrimination suspected in couple's delay to sell home

George Willborn, popular comedian and radio personality, claims he was denied the purchase of a ahouse by a white couple, Daniel and Adrienne Sabbia, selling their chicago home because of his race. On August 10, 2010, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that the couple along with their real estate agent Jeffrey Lowe will be charged with violating fair housing law. The the Willborns state the couple demonstrated "strange behaviour" during the house tour, and are accused of postponing negotiations although the Wilborns made a $1.7 million offer, the highest the sellers had received during the two years the home was on the market. Further, the Sabbias allegedly took the property off the market to avoid selling to the Wilborns. The real estate agent Jeffrey Lowe told government officials that the Sabbias did not want to sell to African Americans. Wilborn filed the complaint in January, it was amended in March and July. The cases will be heard before an

July 19-25 News Round-Up

Kagan’s questionable history protecting tenant’s rights: Supreme Court candidate Elena Kagan’s position on housing discrimination is unclear to some; however, a closer look into her past opinions may provide some insight. In a case brought by tenants in Chico, California, Kagan stood in clear support of the landlord who refused to rent to a couple because they were unmarried and because it went against the landlord’s beliefs. The Supreme Court decided in favor of the tenants, but Kagan recommended that the Clinton Administration urge the Court to decide in favor of the landlord. Although Kagan has attempted to distance herself from such decisions, it begs the question whether or not this ideological position may resurface. Kagan’s past position in favor of religious freedom over the rights of tenants, who stand to suffer housing discrimination due to such individuals “beliefs”, is worrisome. This position leaves a dangerous opportunity for other types of discrimination such as race, se

Recent Cases (cont.)

Petty v. Portofino Council of Co-Owners, Inc., 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22935 (March 12, 2010) The plaintiffs, Jeffrey, Cindy and Christopher Petty's charged defendants, the Portofino Council of Co-Owners, Inc., with violating the Fair Housing Act, along with violating state laws regulating defamation, libel, slander, negligent misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The Defendant responded to the claims by filing a motion to dismiss. The Pettys purchased a home in Corpus Christi, Texas and claim that they were harassed by the defendant in a variety of ways including the disconnection of their phone lines, which interfered with providing the proper care for their deaf son. Additionally, reasonable accommodations were denied the plaintiffs by limiting their ability to take the son’s service dog through the building so that the dog could relieve itself outside. The plaintiff not only claims that the defendant failed to make reasonab

Recent Cases

Marshall Fincher v. South Bend Heritage Foundation, 606 F.3d 331 (7th Cir. 2010) Fincher, tenant, sued the landlord after being denied Section 8 housing based on a prior eviction,claiming he was denied due process of law and suffered the effects of a breach of contract between the defendant and Housing and Urban Development Contract. The District Court a granted summary judgment to the defendant and the Appellate Court affirmed. The Plaintiff brought a complaint against both the South Bend Housing Authority and the South Bend Heritage Foundation. The case against the Housing Authority was remanded to the state courts because the eviction process involved in the claim against the state agency is inherently a state issue. In the complaint against SBHF the plaintiff stated that did not have the opportunity to exercise his due process rights and that he was a party to the contract between the landlord and HUD because he was the recipient of the benefit. The Appellate Court denied both clai

HUD Acts to Strengthen Anti-Discrimmination Policies in Recognition of LGBT Pride Month

In celebration of LGBT Pride Month the U.S. Depart of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced an update in policy which proposes new methods for addressing LGBT individuals faced with housing discrimination. The Fair Housing Act does not address housing discrimination based on sexual orientation specifically, nor does it cover gender identity-based discrimination. However, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan suggest that these types of issues could be addressed using other protect groups, for example LGBT parties could claim gender discrimination or discrimination based on a perceived disability. The announcement by HUD regarding adding stronger policy, also encourages individuals to look at state laws and other local protections such as are enacted in approx. 20 states and a number of municipalities, which prohibit LGBT discrimination. HUD says local laws are not used in place of HUD but that they (local laws) can work in concert with the administrative efforts of HUD. Tenants can

News Roundup: March 27 - April 2

HUD Kicks Off Fair Housing Month Declaring 2010 a "Time to Act" In an April 1st press release, HUD highlighted its achievements from last year and proclaimed its continuing commitment to ensure Fair Housing for all in the year to come. “Discrimination based on how you look, the religion you practice, or because you have children or are disabled is illegal and unacceptable,” said John Trasviña, Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at HUD. “In the aftermath of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in April 1968, President Johnson moved for passage of the Fair Housing Act to bring the nation forward and together. Since then, we have made progress but there remains work to be done. It is time to act.” ( Full Press Release Here ) Massachusetts AG Obtains Consent Judgment on Craigslist Advertisements The judgment resolves allegations that a landlord made discriminatory statements in rental advertisements posted on Craigslist for including the phrase "

News Roundup: March 15-26

NFHA President Testifies Before House Judiciary Committee (Reading the full testimony is strongly recommended for anyone interested Fair Housing issues.) On March 11, Shanna Smith of the National Fair Housing Alliance (NHFA) testified before the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommitte on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, with a presentation titled "Protecting the American Dream: A Look at the Fair Housing Act." The testimony emphasizes that in spite of our efforts, the nation still falls "dramatically short of reaching the actual goals of the Fair Housing Act" which is designed to "eliminate housing discrimination and to promote residential integration." "While people are working together in greater numbers than ever before--many go home each night to racially segregated neighborhoods." Shanna "explores the nature and extent of housing discrimination as it is manifested today, how enforcement action is moving

News Roundup: March 8-14

LGBT Developments National Gay and Lesbian Task Force calls on federal lawmakers to amend the FHA. Congressman Joe Sestak announced the submission of his Housing Non-Discrimination Act to amend the FHA so that it includes a prohibition on discrimination of LGBT persons. Congressmen Jerrold Nadler of NY and John Conyers of Michigan have also voiced their support of such a measure . AIG Settlement Subsidiaries of American International Group have agreed to settle over allegations of charging higher broker fees for subprime loans to African American borrowers for a total of $7.1 million. This marks the first case in which a lender has been charged for such fee discrimination. Bachelor Pad Advertisement violates FHA? The Miami Valley Fair Housing Center filed a discrimination suit against The Connor Group for posting a Craigslist advertisement that read: "a great bachelor pad for any single man looking to hook up." It is being alleged that the advertisement discriminates

What Obama's Proposed Inclusionary LGBT Housing Rule Does and Does Not Do

The U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department conducted a listening session on Thursday in an effort to gather input on how to design the first-ever national survey of LGBT housing discrimination. The session was hosted at Chicago's city hall and included over a dozen members of the gay community, fair housing advocates and government officials who shared their stories and perspectives on the issue. ( Full Washington Post article here ). One concern expressed the need for testers to "think of a way to make it clear that this is a gay couple and not just two men who really can't afford to do anything than get a single apartment with a single room," said John Knight of the ACLU. This marks one of the first steps by HUD to fulfill their promise made in October of assuring the LGBT community inclusion in HUD programs. ( Full Press Release Here ). In that press release HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan announced, "The evidence is clear that some are denied the oppo

More Stringent Standard for Organizational Standing and the Need to Keep an Eye on this Issue.

Equal Rights Ctr. v. Post Props. 657 F. Supp. 2d 197 (D.D.C. 2009) Decided September 28, 2009 This case stands on the principle that organizational standing is not available when an organization's injury is self-inflicted. Whether we are seeing a more stringent principle being promulgated, a refinement in the law or a case of bad strategy is unclear. Equal Rights Center ("ERC"), an organization devoted to advancing civil rights and fair housing for everyone, brought suit against Post Properties for allegedly failing to bring their buildings into compliance with accessibility provisions in the American Disabilities Act ("ADA") and Fair Housing Act ("FHA"). Post Properties owns and manages more than 21,000 apartment units across five states. According to the Court's description of the facts, ERC, on its own accord, chose to investigate one of Post's buildings to determine whether they were in compliance with accessibility laws. Th

$7.4 Million Retrofitting Case

Retrofitting housing units to comply with accessibility requirements under the FHA for persons with disabilities is expensive. A.G. Spanos Companies, the nation's fifth-largest housing developer, understands this fact quite well after settling for an estimated $7.4 million for non-compliance with FHA building standards. According to the press release, "Under the agreement, the nation’s fifth largest builder of residential real estate will retrofit properties in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, and Texas at an estimated cost of $7.4 million." The FHA provides that since 1991 new construction of multifamily dwellings with four or more units be required to have accessible ground floor units where there is no elevator and accessibility for all units in buildings with an elevator. This is true for both public and private housing except in rare instances where steep terrain makes accessibility standards impra

$160,000 Settlement Reached Over Racial Steering Complaint in Atlanta

Atlanta area realtors settled with the Justice Department on Feb. 3, 2010 over allegations of racially steering prospective home-buyers. The complaint, filed by HUD and the National Fair Housing Alliance, resulted in an investigation which reported that agents were steering white testers away from predominately black neighborhoods because of race. One tester reported that an agent wasn't sure what area to take the prospective home-buyer because he could not tell the testers race from their phone conversation. Full article here.

7th Circuit Carves out More Space for Post-Acquisition FHA Claims

Bloch v. Frischholz, 587 F.3d 771(7th Cir. 2009) Decided November 13, 2009 The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously held in Bloch v. Frischholz, that the Fair Housing Act (FHA) protects persons from discrimination not only before, but also after housing has been acquired. Though bright-line rules were not necessarily developed, the court discusses three provisions through which post-acquisition claims can now more clearly be established. Since 2004, after the Court's decision in Halprin v. Prairie Single Family Homes , the Fair Housing law in the 7th Circuit concerning post-acquisition conduct has been construed very narrowly because as the court stated,"the FHA by and large [is] concerned only [with] access to housing." Id. Halprin has lead many courts to focus on the timing of the discrimination rather than whether discrimination actually occurred. Bloch, to a certain extends, clarifies this area of the law by ruling that the FHA reaches a "

FHA Reverse Redlining and Pleading Standards

United States District Court, N.D. California Hafiz v. Greenpoint Mortg. Funding, Inc. 652 F.Supp.2d 1039 July 16, 2009 Hafiz is significant to fair housing law because it re-articulates the manner in which a predatory-lending/reverse-redlining claim can be made under the FHA. It also shows how some courts are using the new more stringent pleading standards under Iqbal to dismiss federal claims. Plaintiff Majiman Hafiz's investment property was subject to foreclosure after falling behind in her monthly mortgage payments. In order to prevent the foreclosure sale of her property, Plaintiff alleged in her complaint that Defendant, Greenpoint Mortgage, failed to give her adequate time for review of the loan documents. Plaintiff also alleged that Defendant failed to disclose mortgage-related information as required by state and federal law. Plaintiff claimed that these alleged acts of excessive fee structures and failed disclosures on behalf of defendants resulted in the issuance