Jury Awards Developer $1 Million in Federal Fair Housing Act Case - 7/6/2010

Saratoga Springs, NY - On July 2, 2010, a federal jury awarded $1 million to The Anderson Group, an Albany, New York developer that had sought to build a development that included 60 units affordable to low- and moderate-income families. The jury found that the zoning policies used by the City of Saratoga Springs to exclude the development had a discriminatory disparate impact on African-Americans and families with children.

When Saratoga Springs officials and area residents discovered that The Anderson Group sought to include an affordable housing component in their proposed Spring Run Village development, they began an extensive campaign to block the development. The City rezoned the property to prevent any affordable housing on the property despite an affordable housing crisis in the City, disproportionately borne by African Americans and families with children in the area who faced extreme housing costs burdens.

The law firm of Relman, Dane & Colfax had filed the Fair Housing Act action against Saratoga Springs in October 2005 and after extensive motions practice and an appeal to the Second Circuit, trial began on June 21 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York. The seven-member jury heard testimony for nine days, and then deliberated for nearly twelve hours before delivering a verdict of $1 million in compensatory damages on the disparate impact claims.

If you or your company have been discriminated against in a similar manner you may file a fair housing complaint via this website. Just click on "File A Complaint" or call our toll-free hotline at 1-877-910-FAIR.

Relman, Dane & Colfax's trial team was led by Reed Colfax, Katherine Gillespie, and Jamie Crook.