In Georgia, Accomplishment Of The Housing And Civil Enforcement Section

In The United States District Court For The Middle District Of Georgia Albany/Americus Division

Date: 7/06/05The Housing and Civil Enforcement Section of the Civil Rights Division is responsible for the Department's enforcement of the Fair Housing Act (FHA), along with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in public accommodations, and the land use provisions of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA). During this administration, the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section has initiated 171 new lawsuits and obtained 164 consent decrees in the areas of fair housing, fair lending and public accommodations, including the first three Department of Justice lawsuits under RLUIPA.

Sexual Harassment:In 2004, we obtained a jury verdict of over one million dollars in United States v. Veal (E.D. Mo.), the largest verdict the Department of Justice has ever obtained in a Fair Housing Act case. We alleged a pattern or practice of discrimination by the defendant landlord, who systematically sought sexual favors from female tenants. The victims included a 19-year old single mother, a mentally challenged female tenant and one victim who considered committing suicide after several instances of fondling by the defendant. We also obtained a favorable jury verdict recently in another pattern or practice sexual harassment case against a landlord, United States v. Koch (D. Neb.).