On September 07, 2010, the United States filed a lawsuit under the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. §3601, against the Eastman Housing Authority ("EHA") in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia. (Judge Dudley H. Bowen, Dublin Division). The Defendant maintains and owns nine public housing developments in the City of Eastman and surrounding areas. The Plaintiff claimed that the Defendant engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination based on race or color in connection with the rental of dwellings in EHA housing developments. Specifically, the Plaintiff alleges the Defendants steered applicants and residents to housing complexes on the basis of race and color; 2) selected white applicants over eligible black applicants who had higher positions on the EHA waiting list so that white applicants could be placed in vacant housing units ; 3) selected black applicants over white applicants on the EHA waiting list so that white applicants would not be housed in vacant units in majority black complexes; and 4) provided inferior treatment to black tenants in the terms, conditions and/or privileges of rental of EHA properties. The Plaintiff sought declaratory, injunctive, and monetary relief.

The parties announced a settlement the same day the Complaint was filed, and on October 18, 2010, the Court (Judge Bowen) approved a five year consent decree. In addition to general prohibitions against discrimination on the basis of race or color, and the use of HUD-approved policies with respect to applications and admissions, record-keeping and permission to inspect, the decree required the Defendant to pay $320,000 into an escrow to compensate persons harmed the EHA's discriminatory rental practices.

The case was closed on October 18, 2010.

Stacey McClurkin - 12/20/2011


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