The Department of Housing and Urban and Development is circulating a proposal that housing advocates say would add a great deal of difficulty to filing discrimination claims in court. So reports NPR.
A draft of the proposal takes aim at “disparate impact,” a legal concept under the civil rights-era Fair Housing Act that means plaintiffs need prove only that a business decision has a discriminatory effect, not that the discrimination was on purpose.
In a previous statement, HUD Secretary Ben Carson said the department “remains committed to making sure housing-related policies and practices treat people fairly.”