Filed Date: April 26, 1976
Closed Date: May 3, 1978
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In April 1976, eleven civil rights groups, led by the National Urban League, filed suit against the four federal lending regulatory agencies, alleging violations of the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3601-3619, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The plaintiffs sought declaratory and injunctive relief, alleging that the Defendants, all federal agencies with regulatory authority over private lenders, had failed to prevent race-based discrimination in residential lending. The Plaintiffs' Second Amended Complaint, filed in July 1976, served as the basis for litigation during the next year and a half. U.S. District Court Judge Gerhard Gesell pressured the parties to enter into settlement talks in the winter of 1976-77.
During the course of the litigation, three out of the four Defendants the Federal Home Loan Bank Board (March 1977), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (May 1977), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (November 1977) entered into settlement agreements with the plaintiffs. These settlement agreements required the Defendant-agencies to implement formal non-discrimination policies; to collect data concerning the practices of the regulated lenders; to study the data to detect patterns of race-based discrimination; and to cooperate with the plaintiff-organizations to implement further measures, if necessary. These settlement agreements lapsed around 1980 without further agreement about formal cooperation between the plaintiff-organizations and the Defendant-agencies.
The fourth Defendant-agency, the Federal Reserve, did not settle with the plaintiffs and ultimately won dismissal on the lawsuit on standing grounds, in May 1978. National Urban League v. Office of Comptroller of Currency, 78 F.R.D. 543 (D.D.C. 1978). However, immediately after winning the lawsuit, the Federal Reserve agreed to voluntarily implement many of the provisions found in the other three agencies settlement agreements.
Many of the plaintiffs lawyers in the case were active in Washington D.C.-based fair housing litigation in the early-to-mid 1970s. Two of the leading organizations in this field were the Center for National Policy Review (CNPR), a law school clinic associated with Catholic University, and the National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing, Inc. (NCDH), a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit.
Summary Authors
Andrew Nash (6/2/2008)
Gesell, Gerhard Alden (District of Columbia)
Greenberg, Jack (New York)
Babcock, Barbara Allen (District of Columbia)
Goldberg, Daniel J. (District of Columbia)
Gunther, John E. (District of Columbia)
Gesell, Gerhard Alden (District of Columbia)
Krueger, Karen (District of Columbia)
Kuhn, Roger S. (District of Columbia)
Mulkeen, Jay (District of Columbia)
Nabrit, James M. III (New York)
Searing, Daniel A. (District of Columbia)
Shore, Harold B. (District of Columbia)
Sloane, Martin (District of Columbia)
Taylor, William L. (District of Columbia)
Last updated March 20, 2024, 3:13 a.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: District of Columbia
Case Type(s):
Fair Housing/Lending/Insurance
Key Dates
Filing Date: April 26, 1976
Closing Date: May 3, 1978
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
The National Urban League, filing on behalf of a woman who suspected that sex discrimination played a role in a bank's decision to deny her application for a home loan.
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Federal Home Loan Bank Board, Federal
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal
Comptroller of the Currency, Federal
Federal Reserve Board, Federal
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Fair Housing Act/Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 3601 et seq.
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Defendant
Nature of Relief:
Source of Relief: