Sep 10

A few other cases of note similar to Gallagher, Steinhauser, Harrilal et al(rental property owners) vs St. Paul, MN et al.

Armendariz v. Penman (9th Circuit)

An equal protection claim could be established for enforcement of housing and fire codes in an arbitrary and invidiously discriminatory manner.

 

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=search&case=/data2/circs/9th/9355393.html

Read the rest of the post for more cases and be sure to add the ones you know ot the comment section.

DOJ v. Addison IL

The Department’s July,1995 suit alleged that the village had violated the federal Fair Housing Act by illegally tearing down Hispanic neighborhoods as part of an urban renewal program.

 

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/1997/August97/327cr.htm

HUD v Elgin IL

The City of Elgin, Illinois has agreed to pay $500,000 to settle longstanding complaints that its enforcement of housing codes discriminated against Latino residents.The settlement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Justice and the HOPE Fair Housing Center of Wheaton, Illinois includes a fund to compensate the victims of code enforcement discrimination.

 

http://www.fairhousing.com/include/media/pdf/sept2002.pdf (at page 3)

http://fairhousing.com/index.cfm?method=page.display&pagename=advocate_sept02_page4

DOJ v. Fairview IL

http://www.justice.gov/crt/housing/documents/fairviewsettle.php

Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Council on discriminatory code enforcement:

“The target in Belleville is obviously lower income residents and naturally blacks within the community. Another major cause for concern about Belleville’s occupancy practices is that these other cities are now watching to see how the Federal and State officials respond to Belleville. Without a federal or state response I’m afraid that Southern Illinois will become like Montgomery Alabama in 1955 if it isn’t already? The U.S. Department of Justice is well aware of what has been going on in Belleville and has been for sometime. We at EHOC have found that often people have been afraid of coming forward with complaints until their struggle is recognized by some form of credible authority.”

 

http://fairhousing.com/index.cfm?method=page.display&pagename=releases_ehoc12-13-02
http://www.citizenreviewonline.org/Dec_2002/subject.htm

(There was a DOJ case, but I can’t find it)

DOJ v. Waukegan, IL

The city of Waukegan, Illinois, whose officials were accused of violating the Fair Housing Act by enacting a housing code to limit the number of Hispanic family members living together, has agreed to pay $200,000 in damages and fines under an agreement reached with the Justice Department.

 

City officials said they intended to prevent Hispanics from “taking over” Waukegan

 

http://fairhousing.com/index.cfm?method=page.display&pageID=3167

HOPE Fair Housing Center settles case against West Chicago

http://fairhousing.com/index.cfm?method=page.display&pageID=3474

Property owners and tenants v. Georgetown DE

(Summary Decision allowing case to proceed)

Plaintiffs also allege that defendants have developed a pattern and practice of discriminatory housing code enforcement, by targeting Hispanic units while ignoring and not inspecting units occupied by non-Hispanics

 

http://www.ded.uscourts.gov/SLR/Opinions/Sep2002/01-881.pdf

I’m sure I am missing many.  Please add your favorite cases to the comments section or email them to me.

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