DOJ Takes Action to Combat Familial Status Discrimination

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced recent action against landlords in two unrelated cases involving discrimination based on familial status under the Fair Housing Act:

• June 14, 2016: The court entered a consent order in United States v. Brinson (D. Nev.), requiring Nevada landlords to pay $24,000 in damages to victims and a $12,000 civil penalty to the United States. The complaint (filed July 10, 2015) alleged that the landlords ran advertisements showing a preference against renting to families with children, and that they turned away a family with children who responded to one of the ads. (You can read the consent order here.)

• June 23, 2016: In United States v. Dominic Properties, LLC (D. Minn.), a referral from HUD, the DOJ filed a complaint against Minneapolis, Minnesota, owners and managers for allegedly creating and enforcing rules that restrict children from being in the yard, hallways and other indoor and outdoor common areas of their apartment complex. (You can read the complaint here.)

For more information about familial status discrimination under the Fair Housing Act, see "It's Fair Housing Month... Do You Know Who's Protected Against Familial Status Discrimination?"