Freddie Douglas v. Metro Rental Services, Inc., 827 F.2d 252 (1987)

Citation: Freddie Douglas v. Metro Rental Services, Inc., 827 F.2d 252 (1987)
Parent Document: Freddie Douglas v. Metro Rental Services, Inc., 827 F.2d 252 (1987)
Jurisdiction: United States (federal)
Effective Date: 1987-08-26
Original Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/493300/freddie-douglas-v-metro-rental-s... ↗

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a housing discrimination case, this court found an award of $25,000 for each plaintiff to be excessive and reduced it to $10,000. A black family had offered more than $600,000 for a house in an exclusive subdivision in Oak Brook, Illinois, and the owner accepted the offer. When the subdivision association heard about the anticipated sale, it tried to arrange to sell the same property to another party under a restrictive covenant that provided the association with a thirty-day right of first refusal of any proposed sale. A substitute sale was arranged, but the seller refused to close because the buyer would not indemnify the seller against possible liability to the plaintiffs. In the meantime the plaintiffs, relying on the acceptance, had sold their former house, so in addition to being disappointed, humiliated, and angry, the plaintiffs were forced to live in hotels, or with relatives, while looking for a temporary rental apartment. They had to store their furniture and live out of suitcases. During this time of nomadic abode two of their cars were stolen, and other property was lost. This court sustained the $100,-000 punitive damages award against a wealthy association which had clearly and actively conspired to keep plaintiffs out of the subdivision, an action which differs considerably from whatever role Metro had in the present case. Although the plaintiffs experienced the anger, humiliation, and disappointment that the Phillipses suffered, they did not suffer in addition the more tangible and measurable injuries as did the Phillips family.

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