Fair Housing Center of the Greater Palm Beaches, Inc. v. Sonoma Bay Community Homeowners Ass'n, Inc.

136 F. Supp. 3d 1364, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 136251, 2015 WL 5737346
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedOctober 1, 2015
DocketCase No. 9:14-CV-80667-ROSENBERG/BRANNON
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 136 F. Supp. 3d 1364 (Fair Housing Center of the Greater Palm Beaches, Inc. v. Sonoma Bay Community Homeowners Ass'n, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fair Housing Center of the Greater Palm Beaches, Inc. v. Sonoma Bay Community Homeowners Ass'n, Inc., 136 F. Supp. 3d 1364, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 136251, 2015 WL 5737346 (S.D. Fla. 2015).

Opinion

[1368]*1368ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

ROBIN L. ROSENBERG, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

This matter is before the Court on Plaintiffs’ Motion for Partial Summary Judgment [DE 280]. The Motion has been fully briefed. The Court has reviewed- the documents in the case file and is fully advised in the premises. Plaintiffs’ Motion is granted in part because some of Defén-dants’ policies clearly discriminate based on familial status and denied in part because some of Defendants’ policies must be considered by a trier of fact.

I. INTRODUCTION

This is an action for discrimination on the basis of familial status in the rental of housing in violation of the federal Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq., and the Florida Fair Housing Act, Fla. Stat. § 760.20 et seq. Plaintiffs include the Fair Housing Center of the Greater Palm Beaches, Inc. and a number of current and former residents of the Sonoma Bay and Marsh Harbour condominium developments, both of which are located in Riviera Beach, Florida and both of which are Defendants in this case.

In their Second Amended Complaint, Plaintiffs allege violations of-three provisions of the federal Fair Housing Act and three nearly identical provisions of the Florida Fair Housing Act.1 See DE 93. Specifically, Plaintiffs allege that Defendants’ policies and practices constitute discrimination against families with children in violation of these statutory provisions. See DE 93.

The following facts, are undisputed: beginning sometime in 2010 or later, rental applications for both the Sonoma Bay and Marsh Harbour condominium developments included a requirement that prospective tenants provide copies of report cards for persons under the age of 18 (the “Report Card Requirement”). Beginning sometime in 2010 or later, the Rules and Regulations for both the Sonoma Bay and Marsh Harbour condominium 'developments required (1) that all residents wear proper attire when walking on the streets of the development, no boys should be shirtless, and girls must wear a cover up over a bathing suit when walking to the pool (the “Proper Attire Rule”), (2) that there would be no loitering — congregating on the streets of the development — at any time (the “Loitering Rule”), and (3) that persons under the age of 18 must be in their home or on their patio after sunset (the “Curfew Rule”).2

[1369]*1369In addition to monetary damages and other forms of relief, Plaintiffs request entry of a declaratory judgment finding that Defendants are in violation of the federal Fair Housing Act and the Florida Fair Housing Act; entry of an Order requiring each Defendant to take appropriate actions to ensure that the activities complained of are completely stopped immediately and not engaged in again by it or any of its agents; and entiy of a permanent injunction directing Defendants and their directors, officers, agents, and employees to take all affirmative steps necessary to remedy the effects of the illegal, discriminatory conduct described in Plaintiffs’ Second Amended Complaint, including but not limited to prominent notice to all tenants and homeowners correcting any and all related unlawful provisions in their leases and ownership documents, and to prevent similar occurrences in the future.3 See DE 93 at 27-28.

II. SUMMARY JUDGMENT STANDARD

Summary judgment is appropriate if “the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). The existence of a factual dispute is not by itself sufficient grounds to defeat a motion for summary judgment; rather, “the requirement is that there be no genuine issue of material fact.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 247-48, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). A dispute is genuine if “a reasonable trier of fact, could return judgment for the non-moving party.” Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Fla. v. United States, 516 F.3d 1235, 1243 (11th Cir.2008) (citing Anderson, 477 U.S. at 247-48, 106 S.Ct. 2505). A fact is material if “it would affect the outcome of the suit under the governing law.” Id. (citing Anderson, 477 U.S. at 247-48, 106 S.Ct. 2505).

In deciding a summary judgment motion, the Court views thpi facts ip the light most favorable, to the non-moving party and draws all reasonable inferences in that party’s favor. See Davis v. Williams, 451 F.3d 759, 763 (11th Cir.2006). The Court does not weigh conflicting evidence. See Skop v. City of Atlanta, 485 F.3d 1130, 1140 (11th Cir.2007). Thus, upon discovering a genuine dispute of material fact, the Court must deny summary judgment. See id.

The moving party bears the initial burden of showing the absence of a genuine dispute of material fact. See Shiver v. Chertoff, 549 F.3d 1342, 1343 (11th Cir. 2008). Once the moving party satisfies this burden, “the nonmoving party ‘must do more than simply show that there is some metaphysical doubt as to the material facts.’” Ray v. Equifax-Info. Servs., LLC, 327 Fed.Appx. 819, 825 (11th Cir.2009) (quoting Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co., Ltd. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986)). Instead, “[t]he non-moving party must make a sufficient showing on each essential element of the case for which he has the burden of proof.” Id. (citing Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986)). Accord[1370]*1370ingly, the non-moving party must produce evidence, going beyond the pleadings, to show that a reasonable jury could find ip favor of that party. See Shiver, 549 F.3d at 1343.

III. ANALYSIS

Plaintiffs brought the instant case on the premise that Defendants have engaged in a pattern and practice of familial status discrimination that violates 42 U.S.C. §§ 3604(a)-(c), which prohibits the following:

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136 F. Supp. 3d 1364, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 136251, 2015 WL 5737346, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fair-housing-center-of-the-greater-palm-beaches-inc-v-sonoma-bay-flsd-2015.