Jones et al v. City of Faribault
What's at Stake
The 老澳门开奖结果 and 老澳门开奖结果 of Minnesota sued the City of Faribault, Minnesota for its unconstitutional rental licensing ordinance, aimed at reducing the number of people of color living in rental housing within its borders.
Summary
After community members expressed fear that Somali residents, part of a growing immigrant community, were engaging in crime, Faribault鈥檚 own Chief of Police contended that 鈥渇ear and cultural clashes鈥 rather than an uptick in crime were to blame for concerns.
Nonetheless, the city responded by enacting the rental licensing ordinance, targeting its communities of color in violation of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Fifty years after the passage of the Fair Housing Act, bias against people of color at the hands of governments and private actors continues.
The ordinance allows police to order all members of a household evicted if any member or guest engages in what police deem to be criminal activity. These evictions can be ordered even without an arrest or prosecution, and even if a person is found not guilty in a related criminal case. Landlords are also instructed to refuse to rent to potential tenants with a criminal history, regardless of whether that record suggests a present risk for property or safety. This policy disproportionately affects Black Minnesotans, who are far more likely to have criminal records than their white counterparts, due to systemic racism in the United States鈥 criminal justice system.
The ordinance also limits the number of people who can live in a rental unit, disproportionately impacting Somali families, which often have five or more children. This occupancy restriction means that Somali mothers, like our plaintiff Rukiya Hussein, have returned home after giving birth to a child to find an eviction notice, because the new baby puts them over the ordinance鈥檚 limit.
This lawsuit was filed in the District of Minnesota on June 13, 2018.
Legal Documents
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06/13/2018
Complaint -
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06/13/2018
Jones et al v. City of Faribault - Complaint Exhibit A -
06/13/2018
Jones et al v. City of Faribault - Complaint Exhibit B -
06/13/2018
Jones et al v. City of Faribault - Complaint Exhibit C -
06/13/2018
Jones et al v. City of Faribault - Complaint Exhibit D
Jones et al v. City of FaribaultLegal DocumentsJones et al v. City of Faribault - Complaint Exhibit ADate Filed: 06/13/2018
Court: District Court (D. Minn.)
Jones et al v. City of FaribaultLegal DocumentsJones et al v. City of Faribault - Complaint Exhibit BDate Filed: 06/13/2018
Court: District Court (D. Minn.)
Jones et al v. City of FaribaultLegal DocumentsJones et al v. City of Faribault - Complaint Exhibit CDate Filed: 06/13/2018
Court: District Court (D. Minn.)
Jones et al v. City of FaribaultLegal DocumentsJones et al v. City of Faribault - Complaint Exhibit DDate Filed: 06/13/2018
Court: District Court (D. Minn.)
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06/13/2018
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06/29/2018
Amended Complaint -
02/18/2021
Summary Judgment Order - Judge Tunheim
Date Filed: 06/13/2018
Court: District Court (D. Minn.)
Date Filed: 06/29/2018
Court: District Court (D. Minn.)
Date Filed: 02/18/2021
Court: District Court (D. Minn.)