Housing Discrimination Law Firm
Gay · Lesbian ·Transgender · Bisexual · HIV/AIDS
Society affords individuals all sorts of civil rights, but, without gay rights in housing, your life can be intolerable. You need a place to call home where you feel comfortable, among family, and left alone to live your life in peace.
At The Dolan Law Firm, we can't help you with the comfort or the family. you have, but we can help you enforce the law which establishes gay rights in housing for the LGBTQ community and their families. California law also prohibits HIV discrimination in housing.
GLBT Housing Rights Lawyers
We help put the 'fair' back in 'fight.'
If you are wondering if the last landlord you talked to about renting a place was lying when they said, "It's already rented," you may want to have a straight-looking friend go check out it out. "Testing" is often done to demonstrate discrimination and can be very effective in helping prove your case. There are organizations which conduct “:testing” to see if a landlord treats others differently. We can help you contact those organizations, such as Project Sentinel.
If you discover that the apartment "just happens to be available," after all, contact our skilled housing rights lawyers at The Dolan Law Firm to talk about a potential discrimination in housing case.
We have represented numerous LGBT individuals and couples in cases where they were denied equal access to housing.
Harassment/Discrimination Housing
California Law
California Government Code Section 12955 prohibits discrimination or harassment based upon actual or perceived sexual orientation, sex, or association with members of a protected classification including but not limited to members of the LGBT community. This law is embodied within California Government Code Section 12955 and the Unruh Act civil code section 51 (b).
GLBT Housing Rights
The Dolan Law Firm has handled numerous cases in which lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and/or transgender individuals have been denied equal access to housing. If you believe you are being denied housing on the basis of your status, it is often helpful to have a straight-appearing individual apply for the same housing unit. This is referred to as “testing” and designed to demonstrate that the owners' stated reason for refusing to rent (often that the apartment has been already rented) is false.
Testing Investigators
In San Francisco, San Jose, and the Peninsula, Project Sentinel will often conduct testing investigation of discriminatory housing practices.
Contact us LINK if you believe that you have been the target of discrimination or harassment in housing. We can help you recover damages if your rights have been violated.
Potential Damages
Individuals who are denied housing on the basis of their status as a member of the LGBT community are entitled to recover damages including, but not limited to, non-economic damages such as humiliation, grief, anxiety, worry, fear, and emotional distress if there were any economic loses caused by the failure to rent including but not limited to any increased amount of rent that you would have to pay in another location. Individuals who discriminate on the basis of status are also subject to punitive damages in addition to the economic and non-economic damages referenced above
Our lawyers work on a contingency meaning that you pay no fees or costs up-front. If we obtain a recovery on your behalf, we receive a percentage of any recovery we obtain for you. No recovery, no fee. Contact us to have your legal matter evaluated.
Pre Filing Requirements
Individuals who have been unlawfully harassed, discriminated against, or retaliated against for opposing harassment or discrimination, must file a complaint with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing within one year of the date of the occurrence of the discrimination or harassment or they may lose their rights to pursue the matter in court. We can help you file this complaint form as part of our legal services to protect your rights.
In one example, The Dolan Law Firm, on behalf of a gay man with AIDS, achieved a $420,000 settlement. The landlord refused to rent to the plaintiff after he determined that the plaintiff had HIV and was gay. If you believe that you’ve been denied equal access to housing on the basis of your status, contact our office for free evaluation of your case. We are contingent fee lawyers who receive payment only if we achieve a recovery for you. Our lawyers have been selected as amongst the finest lawyers in California; designated as California Super Lawyers; and have been selected for recognition among the outstanding trial lawyers both state wide; the Consumer Attorney of the year, and locally in San Francisco, the San Francisco Trial Lawyer of the Year, on multiple occasions. There is no additional charge by being represented by the best. Call us now.
Christopher Dolan, the founding member of The Dolan Law Firm, has been selected as the California Consumer Attorney of the Year; and has been repeatedly nominated as the San Francisco Trial Lawyer of the Year; as well as chosen as a Northern California Super Lawyer; A review of his practice and work by his peers give him the designation of “A.V.”, having the "highest legal ability" and ethics by Martindale-Hubbell.
Read more about our aggressive pursuit of civil rights for people, including our recent $60 million award in a lawsuit on behalf of Arab-Americans systematically discriminated against by FedEx Ground, the largest award for race discrimination in California and the United States.
Our lawyers work on a contingency meaning that you pay no fees or costs up-front. If we obtain a recovery on your behalf, we receive a percentage of any recovery we obtain for you. No recovery, no fee.
Read more about our civil rights practice.
