{"slug":"trump-housing-discrimination","title":"Housing Discrimination: DOJ Lawsuit Against Trump Management Corporation for Racial Discrimination","date":"1973-10-15","lastUpdated":"1975-06-10","description":"In 1973, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Trump Management Corporation — then run by Fred Trump, with Donald Trump as president of the company — for systematically discriminating against Black applicants seeking to rent apartments in their properties. The company settled in 1975, then was accused of violating the consent decree within two years.","summary":"The DOJ brought one of the largest housing discrimination lawsuits of 1973 against the Trumps, alleging their agents told Black rental applicants apartments were not available when they were available to white applicants, coded applications by race, and directed minority applicants to housing in predominantly Black neighborhoods. Trump denied the allegations vigorously and counterattacked the DOJ. The company settled in 1975 and allegedly violated the decree by 1978.","category":"civil-rights","severity":"major","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/1973/10/16/archives/major-landlord-accused-of-antiblack-bias-in-city.html","title":"Major Landlord Accused of Antiblack Bias in City","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/28/us/politics/donald-trump-housing-race.html","title":"Long Before Donald Trump Was President, He Faced Claims of Housing Discrimination","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.propublica.org/article/propublica-and-the-new-york-times-investigation-trump-housing-discrimination","title":"Investigation: Trump's Racial Discrimination in Housing","publisher":"ProPublica"},{"url":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/01/07/in-1973-trump-was-accused-of-discrimination-here-are-the-details/","title":"In 1973, Trump was accused of discrimination. Here are the details.","publisher":"The Washington Post"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["housing-discrimination","racial-discrimination","Fair-Housing-Act","pre-presidency","DOJ","civil-rights"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"1973-10-15","title":"DOJ files suit","summary":"The U.S. Department of Justice files one of its largest housing discrimination suits of the era, naming Trump Management Corporation and Fred and Donald Trump. The complaint alleges the company discriminated against Black and Puerto Rican applicants in 39 buildings across Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island."},{"date":"1973-12-12","title":"Trump counterattacks","summary":"Donald Trump, then 27 and president of the company, hires attorney Roy Cohn and files a $100 million countersuit alleging the DOJ is engaging in 'reverse discrimination.' The countersuit is dismissed."},{"date":"1975-06-10","title":"Consent decree signed","summary":"Trump Management signs a consent decree agreeing to change its practices — advertising vacancies in minority publications, hiring a housing coordinator, and submitting monthly reports. No fine is imposed; no admission of wrongdoing is made."},{"date":"1978-01-01","title":"Urban League: decree being violated","summary":"The Urban League of Greater New York, which the consent decree required to review Trump Management's practices, reports that the company is violating the terms of the agreement. A DOJ investigation confirms issues but does not bring additional charges."},{"date":"2016-08-28","title":"Suit resurfaces in 2016 campaign","summary":"The New York Times and ProPublica revisit the discrimination case during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump dismisses it: 'We settled the suit with zero — with no admission of guilt.'"}],"location":{"name":"New York City, NY","lat":40.6501,"lng":-73.9496},"custom":{"era":"pre-presidency","posture":"judicial-finding","warCrimeClassification":"enabling","internationalLaw":[{"statute":"International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights","article":"Article 26","provision":"Prohibition on racial discrimination; equal protection before the law"},{"statute":"International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination","article":"Article 5(e)(iii)","provision":"Right to housing without racial discrimination"}],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"Black and Puerto Rican applicants systematically denied housing in Trump-owned residential buildings across Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island","perpetrators":"Trump Management Corporation; Fred Trump (chairman); Donald Trump (president of the company)","structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"President, Trump Management Corporation","institution":"Trump Management Corporation / Trump Organization"},{"name":"Fred Trump","role":"Chairman, Trump Management Corporation","institution":"Trump Management Corporation"}],"updateLog":[{"date":"2016-08-28","summary":"Updated with 2016 campaign coverage and Trump's contemporary statements."}]}}