{"slug":"trump-1973-housing-discrimination-doj-settlement","title":"1973 DOJ Housing Discrimination Settlement: Trump's First Civil Rights Case","date":"1973-10-15","lastUpdated":"1975-06-10","description":"In October 1973, the Department of Justice filed one of the largest housing discrimination suits of its era against Donald Trump, his father Fred Trump, and Trump Management Inc., alleging systematic discrimination against Black applicants for apartments in Trump-owned buildings across Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. The government documented cases where Black applicants were told no apartments were available while white applicants received housing. Trump settled in 1975 without admitting guilt but was sued again in 1978 for violating the settlement.","summary":"Black applicants at Trump apartment buildings were systematically denied housing that was simultaneously offered to white applicants. A Black doorman described being instructed to discourage Black applicants; the government documented instances where the Trumps coded applications with a 'C' (for 'colored') to identify Black applicants for rejection. Trump hired Roy Cohn to fight the lawsuit, countersuing the government for $100 million. He settled without admitting guilt in 1975. Three years later, DOJ filed a second suit alleging violations of the settlement terms.","category":"civil-rights","severity":"major","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/28/us/politics/donald-trump-housing-race.html","title":"Suit Over Trump's Racial Bias Called 'One of the Worst' Cases","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/01/23/what-did-trump-do-when-the-feds-sued-his-company-for-racial-bias/","title":"What did Trump do when the feds sued his company for racial bias?","publisher":"The Washington Post"},{"url":"https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-s-documented-record-of-housing-discrimination","title":"Trump's Documented Record of Housing Discrimination","publisher":"ProPublica"},{"url":"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/09/trump-1973-housing-discrimination/500696/","title":"The Long History of Trump's Housing Discrimination","publisher":"The Atlantic"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["housing-discrimination","racism","pre-presidency","DOJ","1973","civil-rights","Roy-Cohn"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"1973-10-15","title":"DOJ files housing discrimination suit","summary":"The Department of Justice files suit against Trump Management Inc., Donald Trump, and Fred Trump, alleging systematic discrimination against Black applicants in Trump-owned apartment buildings across the New York City boroughs. The suit is described as one of the most significant housing discrimination cases filed under the Fair Housing Act."},{"date":"1973-12-01","title":"Trump countersues for $100 million","summary":"Trump, represented by Roy Cohn, countersues the United States government for $100 million, alleging malicious prosecution and defamation. The countersuit is eventually dismissed."},{"date":"1975-06-10","title":"Consent decree settlement","summary":"Trump settles with the DOJ without admitting guilt, agreeing to a consent decree requiring equal opportunity rental practices, advertising in Black-oriented publications, and informing the Urban League of vacancies."},{"date":"1978-01-01","title":"DOJ files second suit — consent decree violations","summary":"The DOJ files a second suit alleging Trump has violated the consent decree by maintaining discriminatory practices — including a list of pre-approved applicants that excluded Black candidates and continuing to turn away Black applicants."},{"date":"1983-01-01","title":"Second case resolved","summary":"The second discrimination case is resolved through a second consent decree with additional requirements. The cases collectively document a decade of systematic housing discrimination."}],"location":{"name":"Trump apartments, Brooklyn/Queens/Staten Island, New York","lat":40.6501,"lng":-73.9496},"custom":{"era":"pre-presidency","posture":"judicial-finding","warCrimeClassification":"enabling","internationalLaw":[{"statute":"International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination","article":"Article 5","provision":"Right to housing without discrimination based on race — systematic refusal to rent to Black applicants violates this right"}],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"Black applicants systematically denied housing at Trump Management properties in New York; African Americans subject to steering and discriminatory rental practices","structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"President of Trump Management Inc. under Fred Trump","institution":"Trump Management Inc."},{"name":"Fred Trump","role":"Owner of Trump Management Inc.","institution":"Trump Management Inc."}],"updateLog":[{"date":"1975-06-10","summary":"Updated with consent decree settlement."}]}}