Southwest Fair Housing Council v. Mdwid, 17 F.4th 950 (2021)

Citation: Southwest Fair Housing Council v. Mdwid, 17 F.4th 950 (2021)
Parent Document: Southwest Fair Housing Council v. Mdwid, 17 F.4th 950 (2021)
Jurisdiction: United States (federal)
Effective Date: 2021-11-12
Original Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/5296996/southwest-fair-housing-council-v-mdwid/ ↗

Full Text

1,021 chars

Appellants presented insufficient direct evidence of
discriminatory animus in the lead-up to the policy’s
adoption. Appellants’ only argument is to point to a
statement in deposition by a District board member that he
did not “think [Pinal County was] as accountable as they
should have been for their property, for managing the influx
of people and tenants and that type of thing.” Appellants
argue, without citation to any evidence, direct,
circumstantial, or expert, that “influx of people and tenants”
is code for African Americans, Native Americans, and single
mothers.     The district court rejected that argument,
concluding these were not “‘code word[s]’ that
demonstrate[d] discriminatory intent.”            We agree.
Appellants’ contention that the phrase “influx of people and
tenants” demonstrates discriminatory intent or bias is
baseless. No reasonable jury could conclude from this
statement that the District intended to discriminate against
Pinal County tenants on the basis of race or familial status.

Other Sections in This Document (145)

Full Text