VIOLATION OF THE FAIR HOUSING ACT-Supreme Court Ruling of Bank of America and Wells Fargo in Violation of the Fair Housing Act

The City of Miami filed suit against Bank of America and Wells Fargo alleging violations of the Fair Housing Act (FHA).  The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings and in other housing-related transactions.  The City charged that the Banks intentionally targeted African-American and Latino neighborhoods and residents.  They…

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Contingency Fee Business Cases (No Attorneys’ Fees Paid Unless You Prevail)

For many years, the legal profession has charged businesses hourly fees for business dispute litigation where the law firm is paid win or lose.   However, results oriented contingency or hybrid attorney fee arrangements allow the pursuit of business claims for companies or individuals that may not have the budget for hourly representation.  Henrichsen Siegel, P.L.L.C.…

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The Mask of Corporate Procedures for Sex Discrimination

Many employees call company hotlines to report problems anonymously.  Many companies have hotlines that work well and guarantee anonymity.  They can be a useful tool for Human Resources but a question arises of what is done with the information once it’s provided to the people inside.  The attorney who represented Gretchen Carlson in her sex…

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St. Jude Medical Defibrillators Recall

Why is there a recall? St. Jude Medical Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICD) and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Defibrillators (CRT-Ds)  provide pacing for slow heart rhythms, and electrical shock or pacing to stop dangerously fast heart rhythms.  They are implanted in the upper chest are with connecting wires called leads that go into the heart. Some devices…

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JP Morgan Chase Settles for $55 Million on Charges of Discriminatory Mortgage Practices

On January 18, 2017, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York filed a lawsuit against J.P. Morgan Chase with claims that the bank had engaged in discriminatory mortgage practices from 2006 to 2009.  These discriminatory practices occurred when brokers charged African-American and Hispanic borrowers higher rates for mortgages than white borrowers with…

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National Origin and Citizenship Employment Discrimination: New Regulation

A new regulation takes effect today, January 18, 2017, to prevent national origin and citizenship discrimination in employment.  The Department of Justice stated that treating a worker differently when requesting documents during the employment verification process, no matter the intent, will be prohibited.  The department redefined this type of discrimination as “The act of intentionally…

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Supreme Court to Deliberate on Racial Bias Among Jurors

Up to this point, the United States Supreme Court has said that even grievous misconduct in the jury room can’t be used to challenge a conviction if it would require jurors to testify about what was said there.  But the court has never completely dealt with whether racial or ethnic prejudice requires an exception to…

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Airbnb Addresses Users’ Concerns of Discrimination

This year, many people took to social media to express frustration with Airbnb, the popular home rental platform.  Many people have felt racially discriminated against in the rental process.  A 2016 study, by professors at Harvard Business School, demonstrated “that requests from guests with distinctively African-American names are roughly 16% less likely to be accepted…

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