Frivolous, Meritless Fair Housing Complaint Results in Attorneys Fees Awarded to Association

A homeowner in Buffalo New York failed to maintain her patio in a clean manner and neighbors decided to help her out by cleaning the patio while she was away on a trip.  In return for their help, Ms. Taylor called the police and filed multiple lawsuits including claims that the Association had violated her rights under the Fair Housing Act.  Ms. Taylor first made claim with the state division of Human Rights and HUD.  Both the DHR and HUD determined that there was no violation by the Association but Ms. Taylor then filed her case in federal court.  After three years of litigation a federal Court of Appeals decision awarded $107,322 to the Association finding that Ms. Taylor’s lawsuit was frivolous and without merit and that she should have known that when both DHR and HUD said so.  For more information on Fair Housing violations, read our article entitled, “When Does an FHA Violation Occur?”