Case: Laufman v. Oakley Building & Loan Company

1:74-00153 | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio

Filed Date: April 29, 1974

Closed Date: 1976

Clearinghouse coding complete

Case Summary

The plaintiffs filed suit under the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. § 3604, on April 24, 1974, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Southern Ohio. The plaintiffs, a white married couple, approached the Defendant-savings and loan about obtaining a loan for a home purchase in a racially integrated neighborhood in Cincinnati. The plaintiffs alleged that they were denied credit on the basis of the racial composition of the neighborhood in which they desired to purchase property. Originally fi…

The plaintiffs filed suit under the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. § 3604, on April 24, 1974, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Southern Ohio. The plaintiffs, a white married couple, approached the Defendant-savings and loan about obtaining a loan for a home purchase in a racially integrated neighborhood in Cincinnati. The plaintiffs alleged that they were denied credit on the basis of the racial composition of the neighborhood in which they desired to purchase property. Originally filed as a class action, the plaintiffs eventually pursued the case as a damages claim based on the less favorable terms of credit that they obtained from another lending institution to purchase their home.

The plaintiffs alleged that the Defendant's denial of credit for a home purchase effectively made "unavailable... [a] dwelling" in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 3604. One of the plaintiffs was also a civil rights attorney, and he litigated the case on a pro se basis. The plaintiffs were also represented in part by lawyers from the National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing (NCDH), a Washington, D.C.-based fair housing non-profit. On June 18, 1975, the U.S. Department of Justice filed an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs' position. Laufman v. Oakley Bldg. & Loan Co., 404 F. Supp. 791 (S.D. Ohio 1975) (rejecting Defendants' attempt to prevent the United States Department of Justice from filing an amicus brief in the case).

U.S. District Court Judge David S. Porter denied the Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment on February 13, 1976, making this the first case in which a federal court held that race-based lending discrimination violates the Fair Housing Act. Laufman v. Oakley Bldg. & Loan Co., 408 F. Supp. 489 (S.D. Ohio 1976). The litigants eventually settled the case out of court. One of the terms of the settlement agreement was the creation of a lending monitoring board for the City of Cincinnati.

Summary Authors

Andrew Nash (6/2/2008)

People


Judge(s)
Attorney for Plaintiff

Colegrove, Donald F. (Ohio)

Attorney for Defendant

Ginocchio, Louis A. (Ohio)

Expert/Monitor/Master/Other

Allen, Charles E. (Ohio)

Ash, Matthew G. (District of Columbia)

Dennis, Warren L. (District of Columbia)

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Documents in the Clearinghouse

Document

1:74-00153

Complaint

April 29, 1974

April 29, 1974

Complaint

1:74-00153

Motion for Summary Judgment in Favor of Defendants

May 2, 1975

May 2, 1975

Pleading / Motion / Brief

1:74-00153

Brief of United States as Amicus Curiae

June 16, 1975

June 16, 1975

Pleading / Motion / Brief

1:74-00153

Brief of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, Amicus Curiae

June 18, 1975

June 18, 1975

Pleading / Motion / Brief

1:74-00153

Defendants' Brief in Reply to Plaintiffs' and Amicus Curiae's Memoranda Contra Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment

July 21, 1975

July 21, 1975

Pleading / Motion / Brief

1:74-00153

Plaintiffs' Memorandum in Response to Defendants' Reply Brief

Aug. 1, 1975

Aug. 1, 1975

Pleading / Motion / Brief

1:74-00153

Order [Granting U.S. Leave to File Amicus Brief]

Sept. 8, 1975

Sept. 8, 1975

Order/Opinion

404 F.Supp. 404

1:74-00153

Opinion [Denying Motion for S/J]

Feb. 13, 1976

Feb. 13, 1976

Order/Opinion

408 F.Supp. 408

"The Law Closes in on Mortgage Discrimination"

No Court

March 22, 1976

March 22, 1976

Press Release

1:74-00153

Opinion and Order [Granting Plaintiff's Motion to Compel]

Sept. 8, 1976

Sept. 8, 1976

Order/Opinion

72 F.R.D. 72

Resources

Docket

Last updated March 27, 2024, 3:16 a.m.

Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.

Case Details

State / Territory: Ohio

Case Type(s):

Fair Housing/Lending/Insurance

Key Dates

Filing Date: April 29, 1974

Closing Date: 1976

Case Ongoing: No

Plaintiffs

Plaintiff Description:

All property owners/prospective purchasers of homes in racially integrated or predominantly black neighborhoods in Hamilton County, OH.

Plaintiff Type(s):

Private Plaintiff

Public Interest Lawyer: No

Filed Pro Se: No

Class Action Sought: Yes

Class Action Outcome: Granted

Defendants

Oakley Building & Loan Company, Private Entity/Person

Case Details

Causes of Action:

Fair Housing Act/Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 3601 et seq.

Available Documents:

Complaint (any)

Any published opinion

Outcome

Prevailing Party: Plaintiff

Nature of Relief:

Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement

Source of Relief:

Settlement

Litigation

Form of Settlement:

Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree

Order Duration: 1976 - None

Issues

General:

Racial segregation

Discrimination-area:

Lending

Discrimination-basis:

Race discrimination

Race:

Black

White