Fair Housing Justice Center v. Edgewater Park Owners Cooperative
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
2012 WL 762323 (2012)

- Written by Darius Dehghan, JD
Facts
A housing development called Edgewater Park was governed by the Edgewater Park Owners Cooperative, Inc. (cooperative) (defendant). The cooperative had a policy requiring prospective buyers to obtain three references from current residents. However, the cooperative did not provide coherent standards for implementing the policy. For instance, it was unclear how long a resident was required to live at Edgewater Park before becoming eligible to serve as a reference. It was also unclear whether a resident providing a reference was required to know the prospective buyer for a certain period of time. Additionally, the cooperative did not directly accept applications from prospective buyers. Thus, owners in Edgewater Park sold their properties through real estate agents. The real estate agents informed prospective buyers about the cooperative’s policy. The Fair Housing Justice Center, Inc. (center) (plaintiff) was an organization that hired testers of different races to pose as prospective buyers. The center sent Black and White testers to Amelia Lewis, a real estate agent who showed properties in Edgewater Park. Lewis told the White tester that the policy was not a barrier and that she would help the tester satisfy the policy. By contrast, Lewis told the Black testers that she could not help them satisfy the policy, and she refused to show the testers any properties in Edgewater Park. Subsequently, the center brought suit, contending that the cooperative’s policy violated the Fair Housing Act (FHA). The cooperative filed a motion for summary judgment, which the district court took under advisement.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Patterson, J.)
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