In 2009, Westchester County settled a federal False Claims Act suit by agreeing to build hundreds of moderate-income housing units and market them to racial minorities in the New York metro area. The qui tam plaintiff, nonprofit Anti-Discrimination Center, had alleged that the county’s applications for federal Community Development Block Grants contained material misstatements: boilerplate assurances that officials had complied with fair housing mandates when in fact they had not. The suit was a powerful illustration of the FCA’s potential as a tool for public-interest litigation.

Now, more than three years later, an audit reveals that black and Latino renters and buyers continue to face discriminatory treatment in Westchester County. Undercover investigators, known as testers, were sent to inquire about available homes. In nearly half of the 90 cases, minority testers received worse treatment than financially less-qualified white testers.

Read the entire article, “Audit: Blacks, Latinos Still Likely to Face Housing Bias in Whitest Parts of Westchester”

Read our earlier coverage, “Landmark $62.5 Million Settlement Highlights Role of False Claims Act in Public Interest Litigation”