University of Michigan Law School
Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse
HOME
ABOUT
FOR TEACHERS
SEARCH
QUESTIONS
RECENT ADDITIONS
feedback/
suggestions
log in/
register
Case Profile
new search
page permalink
Case Name
United States v. Bouchon
FH-LA-0002
Docket / Court
2:11-cv-02157-KDE-DEK ( E.D. La. )
State/Territory
Louisiana
Case Type(s)
Fair Housing/Lending/Insurance
Attorney Organization
U.S. Dept. of Justice Civil Rights Division
Case Summary
On August 29, 2011, the United States Department of Justice filed suit under the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. §§3601, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, against owners, operators and managers of a 16-unit apartment building in New Orleans, Louisiana. The DOJ ...
read more >
On August 29, 2011, the United States Department of Justice filed suit under the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. §§3601, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, against owners, operators and managers of a 16-unit apartment building in New Orleans, Louisiana. The DOJ alleged that testing completed by the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center revealed that the defendants had engaged in a pattern and practice of rental discrimination on the basis of race or color. Specifically, the complaint alleged that defendants refused to return phone calls from prospective renters who were African-American, but did return phone calls from prospective white renters, and otherwise made units unavailable to persons of color. The U.S. sought injunctive, declaratory, and monetary relief as well as civil penalties.
Settlement negotiations preceded the lawsuit, and the parties filed a proposed settlement concurrently with the complaint. On September 02, 2011, the Court (Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt) approved that four-year Consent Order. The decree covered all properties in which the defendants have any ownership or management interest; in addition to generally prohibiting discrimination, it required development and posting of non-discrimination policies, prominent posting of availability of units with the Equal Housing Opportunity slogan, explicit anti-discrimination notices in all advertising, and training of all employees. The settlement also provided for a system of recordkeeping to insure people of color were not being turned away, and maintenance of a timely updated list of available units.
Defendants paid $50,000 to the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center and $10,000 as a civil penalty. The case terminated on September 07, 2011.
Asma Husain - 02/07/2016
compress summary
- click to show/hide ALL -
Issues and Causes of Action
click to show/hide detail
Issues
Content of Injunction
Comply with advertising/recruiting requirements
Develop anti-discrimination policy
Discrimination Prohibition
Implement complaint/dispute resolution process
Recordkeeping
Reporting
Defendant-type
Multi-family housing provider
Discrimination-area
Housing Sales/Rental
Discrimination-basis
Race discrimination
General
Disparate Treatment
Housing
Plaintiff Type
U.S. Dept of Justice plaintiff
Race
Black
Causes of Action
Fair Housing Act/Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 3601 et seq.
Case Details
click to show/hide detail
Defendant(s)
Bouchon Limited Family Partnership
Plaintiff Description
United States Department of Justice
Indexed Lawyer Organizations
U.S. Dept. of Justice Civil Rights Division
Class action status sought
No
Class action status granted
No
Filed Pro Se
No
Prevailing Party
Plaintiff
Public Int. Lawyer
Yes
Nature of Relief
Damages
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
civil penalty
Source of Relief
Settlement
Form of Settlement
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Order Duration
2011 - 2015
Filed
08/29/2011
Case Closing Year
2015
Case Ongoing
No
Additional Resources
click to show/hide detail
The Origins of Fair Lending Litigation
Date: Dec. 4, 2008
By: Andrew Nash (Washington University in St. Louis Law Student)
[ Detail ]
[ PDF ]
[ External Link ]
Documents
click to show/hide detail
Court
Docket(s)
E.D. La.
09/07/2011
2:11-cv-02157
FH-LA-0002-9000.pdf
|
Detail
Source: PACER [Public Access to Court Electronic Records]
General Documents
not recorded
08/29/2011
Justice Department Obtains $70,000 Settlement in Housing Discrimination Lawsuit Against New Orleans Landlords
FH-LA-0002-0003.pdf
|
External Link
|
Detail
Source: U.S. Dep't of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Housing and Civil Enforcement
E.D. La.
08/29/2011
Complaint [ECF# 1]
FH-LA-0002-0001.pdf
|
Detail
Source: PACER [Public Access to Court Electronic Records]
E.D. La.
09/02/2011
Consent Order [ECF# 5]
FH-LA-0002-0002.pdf
|
Detail
Source: PACER [Public Access to Court Electronic Records]
People
click to show/hide detail
show all people docs
Judges
Engelhardt, Kurt Damian
(E.D. La., Fifth Circuit)
show/hide docs
FH-LA-0002-0002 | FH-LA-0002-9000
Plaintiff's Lawyers
Bond, Rebecca B.
(District of Columbia)
show/hide docs
FH-LA-0002-0001 | FH-LA-0002-0002
Gutierrez, Sandra Ema
(Louisiana)
show/hide docs
FH-LA-0002-0001 | FH-LA-0002-0002 | FH-LA-0002-9000
Keveney, Sean R.
(District of Columbia)
show/hide docs
FH-LA-0002-0001 | FH-LA-0002-0002 | FH-LA-0002-9000
Letten, Jim
(Louisiana)
show/hide docs
FH-LA-0002-0001 | FH-LA-0002-0002 | FH-LA-0002-9000
Perez, Thomas E.
(District of Columbia)
show/hide docs
FH-LA-0002-9000
Rosenbaum, Steven H.
(District of Columbia)
show/hide docs
FH-LA-0002-0001 | FH-LA-0002-0002 | FH-LA-0002-9000
Defendant's Lawyers
Gaffney, Michael
(Louisiana)
show/hide docs
FH-LA-0002-0002
- click to show/hide ALL -
new search
page permalink
- top of page -
Contact
Report an Error
Privacy Policy