{"slug":"trump-pre-presidency-housing-discrimination-1927-case","title":"1973 DOJ Housing Discrimination: Trump and Father Sued for Refusing to Rent to Black Applicants","date":"1973-10-15","lastUpdated":"1975-06-10","description":"On October 15, 1973, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil rights lawsuit against Trump Management Corporation — a company jointly operated by Donald Trump and his father Fred Trump — alleging that the company systematically discriminated against Black rental applicants at 39 apartment buildings in New York and New Jersey. The suit alleged applicants were told apartments were unavailable, applications were marked with codes indicating race, and that superintendents were directed to discourage non-white applicants. Trump hired Roy Cohn and mounted an aggressive countersuit. A 1975 consent decree required non-discriminatory practices; subsequent investigations found violations of the consent decree.","summary":"The DOJ suit was based on a year-long investigation by the Fair Housing Division, including undercover testers who posed as prospective renters. Black testers were told no apartments were available or were given discouraging treatment; white testers at the same buildings were shown units and given applications. Trump applications were alleged to contain a 'C' code — interpreted as standing for 'colored' — to flag non-white applicants. Trump hired Roy Cohn, who filed a $100 million countersuit against the DOJ (dismissed). The 1975 consent decree required anti-discriminatory practices but did not require Trump to admit wrongdoing. Three years later, the DOJ found Trump Management had violated the decree.","category":"civil-rights","severity":"critical","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.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-the-governments-case-against-young-donald-trump/2016/01/23/story.html","title":"Inside the Government's Case Against Young Donald Trump","publisher":"The Washington Post"},{"url":"https://apnews.com/article/trump-housing-discrimination-1973-doj","title":"Trump's history with housing discrimination","publisher":"The Associated Press"},{"url":"https://www.justice.gov/crt/housing-and-civil-enforcement-section-cases","title":"DOJ Housing Discrimination Enforcement","publisher":"U.S. Department of Justice"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["housing-discrimination","DOJ","Fair-Housing-Act","pre-presidency","civil-rights","Roy-Cohn","Fred-Trump"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"1972-01-01","title":"DOJ opens investigation — undercover testers deployed","summary":"The DOJ's Fair Housing Division opens an investigation of Trump Management Corporation based on complaints. Investigators deploy undercover testers — white and Black prospective renters — at Trump properties in Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island to document discriminatory practices."},{"date":"1973-10-15","title":"DOJ files civil rights suit — 39 properties named","summary":"The DOJ files a civil rights lawsuit alleging systematic racial discrimination in rental practices at 39 Trump Management apartment buildings. The suit documents that Black applicants were told units were unavailable at properties where white applicants were shown units on the same day."},{"date":"1974-01-01","title":"Trump hires Roy Cohn — $100M countersuit filed and dismissed","summary":"Trump retains Roy Cohn, who files a $100 million countersuit against the DOJ alleging government overreach. The countersuit is dismissed. Trump continues fighting the original suit."},{"date":"1975-06-10","title":"Consent decree — no admission, monitoring required","summary":"Trump Management and the DOJ reach a consent decree requiring anti-discriminatory practices, advertising in minority media, and creation of vacancy lists. Trump does not admit wrongdoing. An Urban League monitor is appointed."},{"date":"1978-01-01","title":"DOJ finds consent decree violations","summary":"The DOJ finds that Trump Management has violated the 1975 consent decree — failing to maintain required vacancy lists and providing misleading information to the Urban League monitor. Additional enforcement action follows."}],"location":{"name":"New York, NY / New Jersey","lat":40.7128,"lng":-74.006},"custom":{"era":"pre-presidency","posture":"judicial-finding","warCrimeClassification":"enabling","internationalLaw":[{"statute":"Fair Housing Act of 1968","article":"Section 3604","provision":"Prohibition on refusing to rent or imposing different terms on account of race; the DOJ suit documented systematic violations across 39 properties"}],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"Black rental applicants denied housing or discouraged from applying at 39 Trump Management properties; individuals and families who sought housing and were told units were unavailable based on their race","structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"President of Trump Management Corporation; jointly operated the properties with his father; managed day-to-day operations; hired Roy Cohn to fight the suit aggressively rather than settle","institution":"Trump Management Corporation"},{"name":"Fred Trump","role":"Founder of Trump Management Corporation; co-defendant in the DOJ suit; the discriminatory practices had developed across his property empire; Donald took on management responsibilities for these properties","institution":"Trump Management Corporation"}],"updateLog":[{"date":"1975-06-10","summary":"Based on contemporaneous reporting and DOJ enforcement records."}]}}