Ragin v. The New York Times Company

923 F.2d 995 (1991)

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Ragin v. The New York Times Company

United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
923 F.2d 995 (1991)

  • Written by Noah Lewis, JD

Facts

The New York Times Company (Times) (defendant) was the publisher of The New York Times, a national newspaper containing real estate advertisements. For 20 years, those ads featured thousands of people who were almost exclusively White unless the person being depicted was a maintenance person, doorman, sports figure, etc. Black people were not depicted as potential home buyers or renters unless the housing was in a predominantly Black area. In real estate ads, human models were used to attract consumers and depict the type of people who were regarded as appropriate occupants. Luther Ragin, Deborah Fish Ragin, Renaye Cuyler, and Jerome Cuyler (plaintiffs) were Black individuals who had been looking for housing in New York. Open Housing Center (plaintiff) was a nonprofit aimed at eliminating racially discriminatory housing practices. In 1989, the housing-seekers and Open Housing Center brought an action under §§ 3604(a) and (c) of the Fair Housing Act and other federal laws. The Times moved to dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. The district court dismissed the claims based on the Thirteenth Amendment, 42 U.S.C. §§ 1981 and 1982, and Fair Housing Act § 3604(a), but not § 3604(c). The Times appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Winter, J.)

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