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- Latest news item posted on 02/22/2012 at 08:20 AM
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- Please welcome our new partner, the Fair Housing Council of Suburban Philadelphia.
- New! We have the full text of cases announced in the newly revived Fair Housing-Fair Lending bulletin. If you are a subscriber to our case database, you can just enter the FH-FL case number to view it. (If you're not, you should be!)
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Killingly woman wins housing discrimination case
(KILLINGLY, Conn., Feb. 21, 2012)
-- A disabled resident of a mobile-home park in Killingly has won $350,000 in a housing discrimination case after being threatened with eviction when she complained about raw sewage repeatedly backing up into her tub and sink.
The award includes $150,000 in punitive damages designed to deter other landlords from similar retaliatory action, according to the Connecticut Fair Housing Center and the law firms of Bingham McCutchen and Bracewell & Giuliani, which represented the resident.
The resident, Donna Parris, lives in the Normandies Park in the Dayville section of Killingly and has a live-in aide to help her with her disabilities. When Parris complained about the sewage backing up, the owners of the park, where Parris owns the home but rents the lot, said she either had to deal with the problem herself or face eviction because she had a live-in aide.
FULL STORY at courant.com
Seniors allege discrimination at upscale retirement facility
(NORFOLK, Va., Feb. 21, 2012)
-- Some residents of an upscale retirement community say they're being discriminated against at meal time.
The debate is over a policy that allows only independent living residents at Harbor's Edge to eat at all seven of its dining facilities. Assisted living and nursing care residents are allowed to eat at four other designated dining rooms unless they get a special medical screening.
Management changed the policy last summer.
"We would certainly hope that they would recognize it's defeating the purpose of continuing care retirement community by discriminating against those in health care and those in assisted living," said one resident of Harbor's Edge who didn't want to be identified.
FULL STORY at wvec.com
Judge issues split decision on Fremont's illegal immigrant ordinance
(FREMONT, Neb., Feb. 20, 2012)
-- A U.S. District Court judge on Monday upheld most of Fremont's illegal immigrant ordinance, striking down only portions of the voter-approved law.
It was a decision that had attorneys from both sides of the issue declaring victory.
Judge Laurie Smith Camp issued a declaratory judgment and permanent injunction declaring void provisions prohibiting the harboring of illegal aliens, providing for the revocation of occupancy licenses and providing for certain penalties following the revocation of occupancy licenses.
Smith Camp wrote those provisions are preempted by the Immigration and Nationality Act and violate the Fair Housing Act.
The rest of Ordinance No. 5165, however, is scheduled to take effect on March 5, said Kris Kobach, the Kansas-based attorney who wrote the ordinance and defended it on behalf of the city against lawsuits by the American Civil Liberties Union and Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
FULL STORY at fremonttribune.com
People with disabilities call on state to do more
(ATLANTA, Feb. 16, 2012)
-- Hundreds of people with disabilities rallied outside the state Capitol on Thursday morning.
The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities flooded the Capitol steps and called on the lawmakers to pass policies to make transportation more accessible for people with disabilities, to pump more money into programs for their care as well as crack down on job and housing discrimination during the 14th annual Disability Day.
Valerie Suber is the public information director for the council. For Suber the issue is more than just professional. It's personal. Suber is visually impaired.
"We are sharing the message that people with disabilities can work. They have dreams and aspirations and gifts and talents," Suber said.
FULL STORY at cbsatlanta.com
Jury awards $1 million to Pahokee residents evicted
(PAHOKEE, Fla., Feb. 15, 2012)
-- In what is believed to be one of the largest punishments ever meted out for housing discrimination, a federal jury has awarded residents of a former Pahokee migrant camp $1 million for being booted from their homes to make way for sex offenders.
"When you talk about fair housing cases all around the country, a $1 million verdict is one for the record books," said Washington, D.C. attorney Reed Colfax, who represented seven families and the Fair Housing Center of the Palm Beaches.
The seven-digit award reflects just how egregious the conduct was, he said Tuesday.
The 13 adults and 26 children were thrown out of what was called Pelican Lake Village shortly before Christmas 2008 so it could be transformed into Miracle Park by a prison minister who wanted to turn it into a haven for convicted sex offenders.
In what became the proverbial smoking gun that sealed the case, the owners sent out a notice, warning residents that if they had kids they had to move or face eviction.
FULL STORY at wptv.com
Complex violates housing act
(COEUR d'ALENE, Idaho., Feb. 14, 2012)
-- A federal jury awarded $21,000 in damages to a Boise-based nonprofit that sued the owner of a Post Falls apartment complex where prospective tenants were informed a damage deposit was required for service animals.
The Intermountain Fair Housing Council sued CVE Falls Park LLC, owner of Falls Park Apartments at 304 W. Fourth Ave., in U.S. District Court, filing a complaint in July 2010.
In count one, it cited discrimination on the basis of "handicap" in violation of the federal Fair Housing Act and its implementing regulations. In count two, Intermountain cited negligence by Falls Park for failing to adequately train and supervise its property managers on the requirements of the Fair Housing Act.
The case went to trial on Monday of last week, and the eight-person jury began deliberating on Wednesday. The jury returned with a decision Thursday, finding in Intermountain's favor on both counts.
FULL STORY at cdapress.com
Leisure Village woman hopes to take fight to keep 'therapy' dog to federal court
(STUART, Fla., Feb. 14, 2012)
-- To the board of Leisure Village, Carolyn Hoffman's dog is a flagrant violation of the Stuart retirement community's rules.
To Hoffman, the dog is depression therapy protected by federal law.
"When I come in, he greets me at the door," the 75-year-old said in her tidy mobile home off Monterey Road. "If I'm on the computer, he's right here. He's just my little companion."
Hoffman sits dabbing her eyes with a tissue, the toy-sized, white dog cradled in her arm. He's here for a short visit before attorney and friend Oliver Harris takes him back. Hoffman knows that the longer her dog's around, the more likely a neighbor is to find out and have him removed.
Hoffman hopes the sneaking soon comes to an end. She's suing Leisure Village under the Fair Housing Act for the right to keep an "emotional-support animal."
"This is not a pet," said attorney David Boyer, who's representing Hoffman through the non-profit Disability Rights Florida. "It's an emotional-support animal. The federal housing act allows this accommodation."
FULL STORY at tcpalm.com
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