disparate impact

Ed note: This post originally appeared on Federal Regulations Advisor. The United States District Court for the District of Columbia vacated the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 2013 rules (ostensibly) under the Fair Housing Act (FHA) establishing disparate-impact liability in a case revolving on homeowners’ insurance coverage policies. Plaintiffs in American Insurance Association […]

Could the third time be the charm? Today, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the petition for certiorari filed in May 2014 by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (Texas DHCA) in Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. The Inclusive Communities Project, Inc. The case gives the Supreme Court its third opportunity since 2012 to rule on the issue of whether disparate impact claims are cognizable under the Fair Housing Act. The prior two cases, Twp. Of Mount Holly v. Mt. Holly Gardens Citizens in Action, Inc. and Magner v. Gallagher, were both settled after the completion of briefing but before the Court could hear oral argument and answer the question presented. This time around the Court granted the certiorari petition without first soliciting the views of the Solicitor General.

If you are new to Above the Law, you might not remember Yolanda Young. She’s an African-American woman who used to work as a staff attorney at Covington & Burling. Some time ago, she sued the firm for racial and gender discrimination. You can read all about her claims here. Regular readers of this site […]