FJI, on behalf of Housing Opportunities Project for Excellence (HOPE), filed a lawsuit against a real estate agent and two realty companies after the agent repeatedly told HOPE testers that children were not allowed to live in an apartment building, which is a violation of the Fair Housing Act. This was after the realtor had already forced a woman to move out after she became pregnant.
1/31/14 Update: FJI successfully negotiated a settlement agreement requiring the payment of damages and attorneys’ fees, as well as requiring the defendants to adopt policy changes to prevent familial status discrimination in the future, and undergo training on fair housing laws. This case represents one step in FJI’s ongoing struggle to eradicate discrimination from the Florida housing market.