In a press release issued at the end of last month, HUD announced that it awarded another $1.2 million to combat housing discrimination. The grants, sent to 11 different organizations around the country, are tax dollars used to “educate the public and housing providers about their rights and responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act.” Fair
General Fair Housing News & Developments
Passenger Sues Delta Airlines Over Injuries Sustained in Alleged Emotional Support Animal Incident
By Scott M. Badami on
Posted in General Fair Housing News & Developments
A man allegedly attacked by an emotional support animal (ESA) on a Delta Airlines flight back in 2017 has now sued the airline and the animal’s owner for negligence.
The incident took place on a flight from Atlanta to San Diego. The plaintiff alleges the ESA was sitting on its owner’s lap and began to…
HUD Settles Sex Discrimination Fair Housing Act Case For $37,000
By Scott M. Badami on
Posted in General Fair Housing News & Developments
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) announced the resolution of a Fair Housing Act (FHA) sex discrimination case for a total of $37,000 pursuant to an agreement brought against a property owner from Minnesota. Allegations included that a male property manager solicited sex multiple times from a female resident in exchange…
An Update on Possible HUD Emotional Support Animal Guidance
By Scott M. Badami on
Posted in General Fair Housing News & Developments
A Fair Housing Defense blog reader (thanks for stopping by) asked me to give an update with respect to potential guidance from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) and/or the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) concerning assistance animals generally and specifically how to review medical verifications related to emotional support animals (ESA’s).…
HUD Settles Disability Housing Discrimination Case For Approximately $11,000
By Scott M. Badami on
Last week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced resolution of a housing discrimination case from California for just under $11,000. The complainants are a family with a child who has a respiratory disability. The issues involved a request from the family to move to a unit away from neighbors who were…
Some Thoughts Concerning Reported Cases and a Reader Comment
By Scott M. Badami on
Posted in General Fair Housing News & Developments
A Fair Housing Defense blog reader (thanks for stopping by) left a comment criticizing your humble blog editor for failing to appropriately research the facts of a case I reported on. I have broad shoulders and I can take a little heat. No worries. Like most of my clients, if I make a mistake, I…
HUD Resolves Familial Status Fair Housing Act Case From Maine for $18,000
By Scott M. Badami on
Posted in General Fair Housing News & Developments
In a statement issued last week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that it resolved a familial status Fair Housing Act (FHA) case from Maine for $18,000.
The case, stated by a fair housing tester group, began when fair housing testers – who were posing as parents with children – followed…
HUD Settles Disability Discrimination Case Concerning Mold and Retaliation for $6,000
By Scott M. Badami on
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) announced it settled a fair housing case from California involving allegations of disability discrimination related to the remediation of mold as well as retaliation against residents for raising the mold concern.
The case was brought to HUD when a couple with disabilities filed…
Facebook Settles Discrimination Complaints and Agrees to Change Certain Advertising Platforms
By Scott M. Badami on
Posted in General Fair Housing News & Developments
In a post from September 2018, I reported that Facebook’s targeting advertising practices have subjected the social media site to scrutiny, including multiple civil lawsuits and administrative complaints. In short, the various plaintiffs asserted that Facebook’s micro-targeting permitted advertisers to “screen out” members of various protected classes. Facebook did this, the complaints allege, by using…
Administration Proposes HUD Budget Cuts…But Congress Will Have Final Say
By Scott M. Badami on
Posted in General Fair Housing News & Developments
At the start of this week, the Trump Administration published its proposed budget for the federal government for the fiscal year starting October 1, 2019. While this is just a proposal – and will certainly be amended by Congress before the end of September – I wanted to highlight a couple of points of interest…