Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_14-cv-01970/USCOURTS-caed-2_14-cv-01970-10/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Scott Bischoff
Plaintiff
Sandra Brittain
Defendant
Leron Dempsey
Plaintiff
J.A. Brittain, Limited
Defendant
Keith Johnson
Defendant
Project Sentinel, Inc.
Plaintiff
RZM Investments Enterprise, LLC
Defendant

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

SCOTT BISCHOFF, et al., 

Plaintiffs, 

v. 

SANDRA BRITTAIN, et al., 

Defendants. 

No. 2:14-cv-01970-KJM-CKD 

ORDER 

Plaintiffs Scott Bischoff, Leron Dempsey, and Project Sentinel, Inc. (“Project 

Sentinel”) filed this action against defendants RZM Investments Enterprise, LLC (“RZM”), J.A. 

Brittain, Limited (“Brittain Commercial”), Keith Johnson, and Sandra Brittain, alleging that their 

housing practices discriminate based on familial status. Several motions are currently before the 

court. Defendants move for reconsideration of the court’s April 29, 2016 order granting Project 

Sentinel’s motion for partial summary judgment. Plaintiffs move for partial summary judgment 

on other claims and for an interim award of attorney’s fees and costs. Each motion is opposed. 

The court held a hearing on August 19, 2016, at which Todd Espinosa appeared for plaintiffs, and 

Ryan Abernethy and Daniel Costa appeared for defendants. As explained below, the court 

DENIES defendants’ motion for reconsideration, GRANTS IN PART and DENIES IN PART 

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plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment, and DENIES without prejudice plaintiffs’ 

motion for attorney’s fees and costs. 

I. BACKGROUND 

A. Statutory Background 

Plaintiffs bring claims under the federal Fair Housing Act (“FHA”), 42 U.S.C. 

§ 3601 et seq., and the California Unruh Civil Rights Act (“Unruh Act”), Cal. Civ. Code § 51 et 

seq. The FHA is a “broad remedial statute” that courts “generously construe.” City of Edmonds 

v. Wash. St. Bldg. Code Council, 18 F.3d 802, 804 (9th Cir. 1994). The FHA makes it unlawful 

“[t]o discriminate against any person in terms, conditions, or privileges of sale or rental of a 

dwelling, or in the provision of services or facilities in connection therewith, because of . . . 

familial status . . . .” 42 U.S.C. § 3604(b). Familial status discrimination entails “discrimination 

against families with children.” Fair Hous. Cong. v. Weber, 993 F. Supp. 1286, 1290 (C.D. Cal. 

1997). A plaintiff may bring a claim under § 3604(b) under either a disparate treatment or 

disparate impact theory. Budnick v. Town of Carefree, 518 F.3d 1109, 1114 (9th Cir. 2008) 

(courts apply Title VII discrimination analysis in cases brought under the FHA). Plaintiffs here 

rely on a disparate treatment theory. 

The FHA also makes it unlawful 

[t]o make, print, or publish, or cause to be made, printed, or 

published any notice, statement, or advertisement, with respect to 

the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, 

limitation, or discrimination based on . . . familial status, . . . or an 

intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination. 

42 U.S.C. § 3604(c). 

The Unruh Act provides, in relevant part, 

All persons within the jurisdiction of [California] are free and 

equal, and . . . are entitled to the full and equal accommodations, 

advantages, facilities, privileges, or services in all business 

establishments of every kind whatsoever. 

Cal. Civ. Code § 51(b). The prohibitions of the Unruh Act include “discriminating in the sale or 

rental of housing based upon age.” Id. § 51.2(a). 

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B. Evidentiary Objections 

The court overrules defendants’ objections to plaintiffs’ citation to the court’s May 

2, 2016 order, Defs.’ Objection Nos. 1–4 & 6–9, ECF No. 116-5, because they are not in fact 

evidentiary objections. Moreover, plaintiffs’ statement of undisputed facts and the cited portions 

of the court’s prior order each cite to materials in the record that independently support the 

respective facts. See Statement of Undisputed Material Facts (“UMF”) Nos. 9, 10, 12, 13, 20, 27, 

28, 35, ECF Nos. 47-2 & 61-1. The court also overrules defendants’ objection as to Keith 

Johnson’s personal knowledge, Defs.’ Objection No. 5. Johnson properly provided testimony 

based on his experience as a resident manager of the complex. See Johnson Dep. 113, Espinosa 

Decl. Supp. MSJ Ex. C, June 3, 2016, ECF No. 110-3 (“Espinosa Decl. II”) (“Q. In your 

experience as a resident manager, what have been the bases of situations that have led to evictions 

of your tenants?”). 

C. Relevant Facts 

The court has examined the record to determine whether the submitted facts are 

supported and whether there exists a genuine dispute as to material facts. The following facts are 

undisputed, unless otherwise noted. 

1. Background 

The Birchwood Gardens apartment complex (“Birchwood Gardens”) is located at 

1225 Bell Street, Sacramento, California. UMF No. 2. Defendant RZM owns Birchwood 

Gardens. UMF No. 1. Defendant Brittain Commercial manages Birchwood Gardens on RZM’s 

behalf under a written property management agreement. UMF No. 4. Defendant Sandra Brittain 

is the Property Director of Brittain Commercial, and defendant Keith Johnson is the resident onsite manager for Birchwood Gardens. UMF No. 6. Brittain and Johnson are both employed by 

Brittain Commercial. UMF No. 7. 

Plaintiffs Bischoff and Dempsey each rented apartments at Birchwood Gardens at 

the time this action was filed. UMF No. 19. Bischoff and Dempsey are single fathers of minor 

children. UMF No. 20. Project Sentinel is a non-profit fair housing organization whose 

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organizational mission includes the promotion of equal opportunity in housing and the 

elimination of all forms of unlawful housing discrimination. UMF No. 26. 

Birchwood Gardens comprises approximately thirty apartments that surround a 

common courtyard area with a fenced swimming pool. UMF No. 2; Brittain Decl. Opp’n SJ ¶¶ 5, 

7, Oct. 28, 2015, ECF Nos. 61-3 & 108 (“Brittain Decl. I”). The complex has a parking lot with 

fifty parking spots that is located only a “few paces” away from the courtyard area. Brittain Decl. 

Opp’n SJ ¶ 14, July 8, 2016, ECF No. 116-2 (“Brittain Decl. II”). A large gate separates the 

parking lot from the street in front of the complex. Id. The gates are electronically operated and 

take about a minute to open and close when a vehicle passes through. Id. The gate is kept open 

continuously from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday whenever there is a vacancy in 

the complex. Id.; Miller Dep. 154–55, Abernethy Decl. Ex. B, ECF No. 116-8. Robert Miller, 

plaintiffs’ expert in the field of property management, testified that leaving the gate open 

jeopardizes the safety of the children in the building. Miller Dep. 69; see id. at 223–25 (“Brittain 

has put . . . the children in a [sic] harm’s way . . . . [T]hese children would not be in harm’s way if 

you had done these things to make sure that the children were in a safe place.”). 

2. “Brief Recap of Notes” Document and Related Guidance 

Brittain Commercial’s resident on-site managers receive training, including 

“Resident Relations” training, at seminars provided by independent experts. Brittain Decl. I 

¶¶ 11–13; see Espinosa Decl. Supp. MSJ Ex. B (Certificates of Completion), Oct. 2, 2015, ECF 

No. 47-4 (“Espinosa Decl. I”). Defendant Brittain prepared a document titled “Brief Recap of 

Notes from the following classes:” (“‘Brief Recap of Notes’ document”) on Brittain Commercial 

letterhead that summarizes several training seminars and provides guidelines for resident 

managers to follow. Espinosa Decl. I Ex. D; Brittain Dep. 106, Feb. 8, 2016, Espinosa Decl. II 

Ex. A; Brittain Decl. I ¶¶ 10, 15. Under the heading “Resident Relations,” the document states, in 

relevant part, 

Handling unsupervised children: 

1. If you have a young child not being supervised, walk the child 

home and speak with whoever is in charge. 

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2. Have your supervisor write a letter after you speak with the 

person in the apartment, which will alert whoever opens the mail, 

that you are worried over the child’s safety—you are now showing 

safety concerns and are not attacking their parenting skills or being 

discriminatory. 

3. If nothing changes and the child is once again outside 

unsupervised, notify your supervisor who will now contact social 

services and/or the police. 

4. If nothing still changes, we will then consider eviction and note 

the reasoning on their notice. 

Espinosa Decl. I Ex. D. The document was distributed to all resident on-site managers for their 

reference in or about 2014 or 2015. Brittain Dep. 106–08, Feb. 8, 2016; Brittain Decl. I ¶ 15; 

Johnson Dep. 100–01, 105. It also was distributed to everyone in Brittain Commercial’s main 

office. Brittain Dep. 107, Feb. 8, 2016. 

Defendant Brittain explained the policy behind the guidelines in her declaration in 

opposition to Project Sentinel’s prior motion for partial summary judgment, on which plaintiffs 

rely here without objection: 

It is our understanding and belief that young children require 

regular adult supervision . . . . In managing Birchwood Gardens, we 

believe that it is within the scope of our management role to 

encourage . . . parents and guardians to exercise such supervision 

for the safety of their young children and for the benefit of other 

residents. We believe that such supervision is necessary so that 

young children who are tenant residents of Birchwood Gardens will 

not be at risk of injuring themselves or other residents, or engaging 

in disruptive or destructive activities. In an effort to promote such 

supervision and discourage parent-guardian neglect, we developed 

internal suggested guidelines for managers to use in their discretion 

as circumstances might warrant. 

Brittain Decl. I ¶ 9. 

The primary goals of these guidelines are to protect the safety and 

well-being of young children in need of supervision, to encourage 

such young children’s parents or guardians to provide that needed 

supervision, and to limit disturbances to other residents by such 

children. They also serve the concomitant business purpose of 

protecting against liability that might arise from injuries to such 

young children. 

Id. ¶ 16. 

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Defendant Johnson testified that he has never been “instructed” to follow the four 

steps outlined in the “Brief Recap of Notes” document. Johnson Dep. 94–95. Throughout his 

deposition, Johnson objected to the characterization of the guidelines as “instructions,” but 

admitted to having received the document. Id. at 94–95, 102–10. Johnson’s understanding was 

“[t]hat they were to be used as guidelines and that [he] should adhere to them as closely as 

possible.” Id. at 104–05. He explained that his only responsibilities are to take unsupervised 

children home and to notify the main office if the problem continues. Id. at 105–09. It is the 

main office’s responsibility to take any additional steps described in the document. Id. 

Johnson has taken children home because they were unsupervised on at least two 

occasions. Id. at 95–96. Once, he took Dempsey’s children home because they were “young 

children” and were playing in the barbecue area, which is not visible from Dempsey’s apartment. 

Id. at 96. He believed Dempsey’s children were between the ages of three and six or seven. Id. 

Johnson considers children up to the ages of eight or nine to be “young.” Id. at 78. On another 

occasion, Johnson took Bischoff’s then three-year-old son home because he was playing with a 

stick in the outside common area right below Bischoff’s apartment “without anyone visible 

nearby.” Id. at 96–100; see UMF No. 21. 

According to Brittain’s most recent declaration opposing plaintiffs’ pending 

motion for partial summary judgment, defendants have never sent a letter to tenants, contacted 

social services or the police, or evicted a tenant due to failure to supervise a child. Brittain 

Decl. II ¶ 7. She claims the four-step guidelines “[were] never implemented or enforced by 

anyone at Brittain Commercial.” Id. (emphasis in original). 

In addition to the “Brief Recap of Notes” document, Brittain Commercial provides 

resident managers with a written Resident Managers Standard Operations Manual, which states 

that “[f]ailure to properly supervise children is grounds for termination of the tenancy.” Brittain 

Dep. 99, 157–58 & Ex. 21, Mar. 23, 2016, Espinosa Decl. II Ex. D. According to Brittain, this 

does not refer to children “merely being unsupervised,” but instead refers to violations of the 

lease agreement, described below, such as “loud and boisterous activity.” Brittain Decl. II ¶ 13. 

When Johnson was asked what type of serial lease agreement violations have led to evictions, he 

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identified “unsupervised children” as one of the violations “that come[s] to mind.” Johnson 

Dep. 113. In his declaration in opposition to plaintiffs’ pending motion for partial summary 

judgment, he submits he “was referring to tenants who were evicted due to their children’s 

disruptive behavior, disturbing of the peace, physically assaulting tenants and the like,” rather 

than “because a child was simply on the property unattended.” Johnson Decl. Opp’n SJ ¶ 4, ECF 

No. 116-3. Brittain is the only person at Brittain Commercial authorized to issue an eviction 

notice or to commence eviction proceedings. Brittain Decl. II ¶ 8. 

3. Terms of the Lease Agreement 

Dempsey and Bischoff each executed a written lease agreement with Brittain 

Commercial. Johnson Decl. Opp’n TRO Ex. 2 (“Dempsey Lease Agreement”) at 34, ECF 

No. 13-2; Johnson Decl. Opp’n TRO Ex. 8 (“Bischoff Lease Agreement”) at 33, ECF No. 13-9. 

Section 12 of the lease agreements, titled “Conduct of Tenants & Guests,” provides, in relevant 

part, 

Neither Tenant nor any invitee, guest or family member of the 

Tenant shall . . . create a nuisance or otherwise interfere with the 

quiet use and enjoyment of other residents or neighbors . . . . 

. . . . 

Loud boisterous activity is prohibited at all times . . . . 

Complaints from your neighbors . . . may result in a termination of 

your tenancy . . . . 

Dempsey Lease Agreement 11–12; Bischoff Lease Agreement 10–11. When there are noise 

complaints, the on-site manager gives the offending resident either a written notice or a verbal 

warning. Brittain Decl. I ¶ 8. Noise complaints with respect to minors are handled in the same 

manner as those arising from adults. Id. 

Section 7 of the lease agreements, titled “No Assignment or Subletting,” provides, 

in relevant part, 

Unless written permission is given in advance by the Landlord, the 

Tenant shall not assign, transfer, mortgage or hypothecate the 

Rental Agreement in whole or in any part or any interest therein, 

nor shall the Tenant sublease or sublet the premises or any part of 

any portion thereof, either voluntarily or by operation of 

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law. . . . Anyone other than the authorized Tenants listed above who 

resides or stays overnight at the premises more than three (3) days 

in any thirty day period shall be considered an unauthorized subtenant and an incurable violation of the Rental Agreement. . . . 

Dempsey Lease Agreement 8; Bischoff Lease Agreement 7. 

4. Complaints and Attempted Eviction 

The remaining facts are provided as background for understanding the parties’ 

arguments, although they do not affect the court’s resolution of the pending motions. 

In May and June 2014, Brittain Commercial management received several verbal 

and written complaints from other residents about Dempsey and his guests making excessive 

noise and occupying the entire pool area at the complex. See Johnson Decl. Opp’n TRO ¶¶ 11–

19, ECF No. 13. On May 12, 2014, after Dempsey received a written warning notice for a noise 

violation, he entered Johnson’s office and engaged in what Johnson describes as “threatening” 

behavior. Johnson Dep. 185–87, ECF No. 116-9; see also Johnson Decl. Opp’n TRO ¶13. 

On June 30, 2014, Bischoff received a written warning notice arising from a verbal 

complaint by a resident that his son was blocking access to walkways and stairs and engaging in 

“loud, boistrous [sic] behavior.” Johnson Decl. Opp’n TRO Ex. 9 (Warning Notice); Yellen 

Decl. Opp’n SJ ¶¶ 3–5, ECF No. 116-4; Bischoff Dep. 181. In July 2014, Bischoff allowed a 

friend and his son to stay with him in his apartment on and off for three weeks in violation of 

Section 7 of the lease agreement. Bischoff Dep. 85–86, 195–96, ECF No. 116-7; Brittain Decl. II 

¶ 10; UMF Nos. 45 & 46. Bischoff also violated the lease agreement by allowing the friend to 

receive mail at his apartment. Bischoff Dep. 216; UMF No. 46. 

Later that month, in late July 2014, Brittain Commercial notified Bischoff and 

Dempsey of the termination of their tenancies at Birchwood Gardens, effective August 31, 2014. 

UMF No. 23. Brittain testified that she decided to issue Dempsey a notice of termination of 

tenancy principally because he “threaten[ed]” and “intimidat[ed]” Johnson. Brittain Decl. II ¶ 9; 

Brittain Dep. 44–48, Mar. 23, 2016. She testified that she decided to issue Bischoff a notice of 

termination of tenancy principally because he kept unauthorized guests in his apartment. Brittain 

Dep. 48–54, Mar. 23, 2016; Brittain Decl. II ¶ 10. 

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In her declaration opposing plaintiffs’ request for sanctions filed in connection 

with the court’s October 15, 2016 discovery order, Brittain stated plaintiffs’ “instances of parental 

neglect or derelictions” were among the “last straws” leading up to their attempted evictions. 

Brittain Decl. Opp’n Mot. Sanctions ¶ 4, ECF No. 70-2. In her later-filed declaration opposing 

the pending motion for partial summary judgment, she explained that she was referring to the 

complaints defendants received about plaintiffs’ children causing excessive noise and blocking 

access to the walkways and stairs. Brittain Decl. II ¶ 12. She said, “Plaintiffs’ children merely 

being unsupervised . . . by itself is not a violation of the tenancy agreement and was not even a 

consideration for Plaintiffs’ evictions in any way . . . .” Id. 

D. Procedural Background 

Bischoff and Dempsey filed a complaint in this action on August 25, 2014. ECF 

No. 1. On August 29, 2014, the court approved the parties’ stipulated temporary restraining 

order. ECF No. 8. On October 10, 2014, the court granted plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary 

injunction and preliminarily ordered defendants to allow Dempsey and Bischoff to remain in their 

apartments so long as they continued paying their monthly rent. ECF No. 20. On October 24, 

2014, defendants filed an answer to the complaint. ECF No. 21. On November 14, 2014, 

plaintiffs filed a first amended complaint, which added Project Sentinel as a plaintiff. ECF 

No. 22. Defendants filed an answer to the first amended complaint on December 5, 2014. ECF 

No. 25. 

On April 20, 2015, Bischoff gave notice to defendants that he intended to vacate 

his apartment on May 2. Three days later, he attempted to withdraw his notice. See Espinosa 

Decl. Ex. C (April 24, 2015 Letter), ECF No. 111-3. The following day, on April 24, defendants’ 

counsel informed plaintiffs’ counsel that defendants refused to accept Bischoff’s withdrawal of 

his notice, id., so Bischoff vacated his apartment on May 2, 2015, id. Ex. D (Move-In/Move-Out 

Itemized Statement). Dempsey continues to reside at Birchwood Gardens and is protected by the 

court’s preliminary injunction. 

On October 2, 2015, Project Sentinel filed a motion for partial summary judgment 

as to RZM’s and Brittain Commercial’s liability under 42 U.S.C. § 3604(b) for their allegedly 

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facially discriminatory “Brief Recap of Notes” policy. ECF No. 47 (“Prev. MSJ”). The court 

held a hearing on the motion on November 20, 2015. On January 29, 2016, Bischoff, Dempsey, 

and Project Sentinel filed a motion to amend the first amended complaint to add allegations and a 

claim under 42 U.S.C. § 3604(c). ECF No. 75. On May 2, 2016, the court issued an order 

granting Project Sentinel’s motion for partial summary judgment and granting plaintiffs leave to 

amend the complaint. ECF No. 105 (“Prev. Order”). Plaintiffs filed the operative second 

amended complaint, ECF No. 106 (“Second Am. Compl.”), and defendants filed an answer to that 

complaint, ECF No. 109. The second amended complaint asserts claims for violations of 42 

U.S.C. §§ 3604(b), 3604(c), and 3617, and California Civil Code sections 51 and 51.2. On June 

3, 2016, plaintiffs filed the instant motion for partial summary judgment and motion for interim 

attorney’s fees and costs. Pls.’ Mot. Summ. J. (“MSJ”), ECF No. 110; Pls.’ Mot. Atty’s Fees 

(“Atty’s Fees Mot.”), ECF No. 111. Defendants opposed the motions. Opp’n SJ, ECF No. 116; 

Opp’n Atty’s Fees, ECF No. 117. Plaintiffs replied. Reply SJ, ECF No. 120; Reply Atty’s Fees, 

ECF No. 121. 

On July 22, 2016, defendants filed a motion for reconsideration of the court’s May 

2, 2016 order granting partial summary judgment for Project Sentinel. Defs.’ Mot. Recons., ECF 

No. 119. Plaintiffs opposed the motion, Opp’n Recons., ECF No. 123, and defendants replied, 

Reply Recons., ECF No. 124.1

The court first considers defendants’ motion for reconsideration, and then turns to 

plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment and motion for interim attorney’s fees and costs. 

II. MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION 

A. Prior Order 

In its prior order, the court applied the burden-shifting framework for facially 

discriminatory policies established by the Ninth Circuit in Community House, Inc., 490 

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 The court DENIES defendants’ request for an extension of the court’s page limitations, 

Reply Recons. 1 n.1, and disregards the last five pages of the reply brief, because defendants have 

not shown good cause for the request. See Standing Order 4, ECF No. 3-1 (“Only in rare 

instances and for good cause shown will the court grant an application to extend these page 

limitations.”). 

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F.3d 1045. See Prev. Order 9–13. Under this framework, a plaintiff first must make out a prima 

facie case of intentional discrimination. 490 F.3d at 1050. A plaintiff can satisfy this burden 

“merely by showing that a protected group has been subjected to explicitly differential—i.e. 

discriminatory—treatment.” Id. (citation omitted); see Iniestra v. Cliff Warren Invs., Inc., 

886 F. Supp. 2d 1161, 1166 (C.D. Cal. 2012). Once a plaintiff has established a prima facie case, 

the burden shifts to the defendant to justify the differential treatment. See Community House, 

490 F.3d at 1050 (discussing Int’l Union, United Auto., Aerospace & Agr. Implement Workers of 

Am., UAW v. Johnson Controls, Inc., 499 U.S. 187 (1991)); see also Larkin v. State of Mich. 

Dep’t of Soc. Servs., 89 F.3d 285, 290 (6th Cir. 1996). Facial discrimination under the FHA is 

allowed only when (1) “the restriction benefits the protected class,” or when (2) “it responds to 

legitimate safety concerns raised by the individuals affected, rather than being based on 

stereotypes.” Community House, Inc., 490 F.3d at 1050. 

Applying these standards, the court first found Brittain Commercial’s policy 

requiring adult supervision of young children “inherently treats children differently than adults by 

limiting when they may use the common areas of the complex to times when they are supervised 

by an adult.” Prev. Order. 10. The court also found the four-step “Brief Recap of Notes” policy 

“treats parents of young children differently by subjecting them to certain consequences if their 

children are found unsupervised.” Id. Because Brittain Commercial’s child supervision policy 

subjects children and families to explicitly different treatment, the court concluded Project 

Sentinel established a prima facie case of facial discrimination. Id. (citing Community House, 

Inc., 490 F.3d at 1050). 

The court next considered defendants’ justifications for the discriminatory policy. 

Only one of defendants’ purported justifications was permissible under Community House: that 

the policy protected the safety and well-being of young children. Prev. Order 13. The only 

evidence defendants offered to support this justification was Brittain’s declaration. Id. Brittain 

generally identified the following safety hazards: the street adjacent to the complex, tables and 

trees in the courtyard common area, outdoor grilling equipment, and a fenced swimming pool. Id. 

at 13–14 (quoting Brittain Decl. I ¶ 6). She noted that one three-year-old child had drowned at a 

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different apartment complex in August 2014 while the child was unsupervised. Brittain Decl. I 

¶ 6. After considering this evidence and the relevant case law, the court determined that 

defendants’ safety concerns “[were] based largely on unfounded speculation,” and that their 

policy “[was] not adequately tailored to respond to those purported concerns.” Prev. Order 14. 

The court concluded that defendants had not created a triable dispute as to whether the facial 

discrimination was justified under the FHA. Id. at 13–15. In addition to finding Brittain 

Commercial liable under § 3604(b) for its policy, the court also found RZM vicariously liable as 

the owner of Birchwood Gardens. Id. at 15–16. Accordingly, the court granted Project Sentinel’s 

motion for partial summary judgment. 

B. Legal Standard 

The court has authority under its inherent powers and the Federal Rules of Civil 

Procedure to reconsider its prior motion granting partial summary judgment. “As long as a 

district court has jurisdiction over [a] case, then it possesses the inherent procedural power to 

reconsider, rescind, or modify an interlocutory order for cause seen by it to be sufficient.” City of 

Los Angeles v. Santa Monica BayKeeper, 254 F.3d 882, 885 (9th Cir. 2001) (citations and 

emphasis omitted). In addition, Rule 54(b) authorizes courts to revise “any order or other 

decision . . . that adjudicates fewer than all the claims or the rights and liabilities of fewer than all 

the parties . . . at any time before the entry of a judgment adjudicating all the claims and all the 

parties’ rights and liabilities.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 54(b). 

Reconsideration is appropriate where it is necessary to correct clear error or 

prevent manifest injustice, where new evidence has become available, or where there has been an 

intervening change in controlling law. Cachil Dehe Band of Wintun Indians v. California, 649 F. 

Supp. 2d 1063, 1069 (E.D. Cal. 2009) (citing Sch. Dist. No. 1J Multnomah Cty. v. ACandS Inc., 5 

F.3d 1255, 1263 (9th Cir. 1993)). Under Local Rule 230(j), the party moving for reconsideration 

must explain: 

(1) when and to what [j]udge . . . the prior motion was made; 

(2) what ruling, decision, or order was made thereon; 

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(3) what new or different facts or circumstances are claimed to exist 

which did not exist or were not shown upon such prior motion, or 

what other grounds exist for the motion; and 

(4) why the facts or circumstances were not shown at the time of 

the prior motion. 

E.D. Cal. L.R. 230(j). “To succeed, a party must set forth facts or law of a strongly convincing 

nature to induce the court to reverse its prior decision.” Knight v. Rios, No. 09-00823, 2010 WL 

5200906, at *2 (E.D. Cal. Dec. 15, 2010). 

C. Discussion 

Defendants argue reconsideration is warranted because new evidence and case law 

affects the court’s analysis, and because the court previously erred by not considering whether the 

policy’s limitation to “young” children rendered it lawful. See Mot. Recons. 1. The court 

considers and rejects each argument in turn. 

1. “New” Evidence 

Defendants first argue that “now that discovery has finished,” new evidence 

creates genuine disputes of fact as to whether the policy violates § 3604(b). See id. at 1, 5, 9. 

The evidence defendants identify can generally be grouped into three categories: 

(1) evidence that Dempsey and Bischoff violated the lease agreement, see, e.g.,

Yellen Decl. Opp’n SJ ¶¶ 3–5, July 7, 2016, ECF No. 116-4; Johnson Dep. 185–

87; Bischoff Dep. 85–86, 181, 195–96, 216; Brittain Decl. Opp’n TRO ¶ 8 & 

Ex. 21, ECF Nos. 14 & 14-11; 

(2) testimony by Brittain and Johnson that the “Brief Recap of Notes” document 

was never in fact “implemented,” see Johnson Decl. Opp’n SJ ¶ 3 (the policy “was 

never implemented or enforced by me”); Brittain Decl. II ¶¶ 7–10 (claiming that 

the policy “was never implemented or enforced by anyone at Brittain Commercial” 

(emphasis in original)); and 

(3) evidence that the complex presents safety risks for children, especially in 

connection with the electronic gate to the parking lot, see Dempsey Dep. 127–28 

(testifying that he believes kids should be watched at the complex so that they are 

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not “snatched” by strangers); and Miller Dep. 69, 223–25 (testifying that a number 

of defendants’ practices, such as leaving the gate to the parking lot open for 

extended periods of time, “jeopardize[] the safety of children” and put “children in 

a [sic] harm’s way”). 

See Mot. Recons. 5–10. 

Defendants’ argument is unpersuasive for several reasons. First, defendants did 

not comply with Local Rule 230(j)’s requirement that they show why the purportedly new facts 

were not presented at the time of the prior motion. Second, contrary to defendants’ assertion, 

defendants were not “railroaded” by Project Sentinel’s prior motion. See Mot. Recons. 5. At the 

time Project Sentinel filed its prior motion, the case had already been pending for more than one 

year. At the July 16, 2015 Status (Pretrial Scheduling) Conference, a few months before the 

motion was filed, plaintiffs’ counsel described the anticipated filing of the motion. See Prev. 

Mot. Summ. J. 1. At no point did defendants request additional time to conduct discovery under 

Rule 56(d) or otherwise suggest that additional discovery would be beneficial. Rule 56(d) 

provides a procedure by which a non-moving party may obtain discovery needed to oppose a 

motion for summary judgment. See Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 326 (1986) (“Any 

potential problem with . . . premature motions [for summary judgment] can be adequately dealt 

with under Rule 56[d].[2]”). Third, most of the facts defendants put forth in support of their 

motion for reconsideration were not previously unavailable to defendants, because they pertain to 

defendants’ own property and management practices. Courts have rejected attempts by parties to 

present their own testimony or other evidence in their possession as “new” evidence. See, e.g., 

Schlicht v. United States, No. 03-1606, 2006 WL 229551, at *2 (D. Ariz. Jan. 30, 2006) (“It 

usually defies all reasonable explanation why a party could not produce his own testimony at any 

time in the proceeding.”); Morris v. McHugh, 997 F. Supp. 2d 1144, 1176 (D. Haw. 2014). 

Defendants in fact submitted some of the cited evidence of plaintiffs’ alleged lease violations in 

 2

 Subsection (d) was labeled (f) at the time of the Celotex decision. 

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opposition to plaintiffs’ motion for preliminary injunction in 2014. Brittain Decl. Opp’n TRO ¶ 8 

& Ex. 21. 

Even if the court were to consider this evidence, however, it would not change the 

court’s previous ruling. Defendants argue that the evidence of Bischoff’s and Dempsey’s lease 

violations “creates an issue of fact” as to whether their tenancies were terminated for legitimate 

purposes, Mot. Recons. 8, but that issue is not material. Project Sentinel moved for summary 

judgment only as to whether defendants’ facially discriminatory “Brief Recap of Notes” policy 

violated the FHA, not on whether the attempted evictions also violated the FHA. 

Neither can Brittain and Johnson raise a genuine dispute of material fact by now 

claiming that the “Brief Recap of Notes” policy “was never implemented or enforced by anyone

at Brittain Commercial,” Brittain Decl. II ¶ 7 (emphasis in original); see Johnson Decl. Opp’n SJ 

¶ 3. This statement is conclusory and contradicts Brittain’s previous sworn statements that she 

developed and distributed the “Brief Recap of Notes” documents to on-site managers to use as 

guidelines in managing their sites, see, e.g., Brittain Decl. I ¶¶ 9, 15. See Romero v. Cty. of Santa 

Clara, No. 11-04812, 2014 WL 3378628, at *11 (N.D. Cal. July 10, 2014) (“‘[U]ncorroborated 

and self-serving’ testimony that ‘flatly contradicts [ ] prior sworn statements’ cannot create a 

genuine issue of fact.” (quoting Kennedy v. Applause, Inc., 90 F.3d 1477, 1481 (9th Cir. 1996))). 

The statement also is inconsistent with Johnson’s testimony that he tried to adhere to the 

guidelines and took children home on at least two occasions because they were not supervised. 

Johnson Dep. 95–100, 104–05. Brittain and Johnson appear to largely base their statement on the 

fact that defendants have not carried out steps three or four of the policy, of contacting social 

services or evicting tenants because they left a child unsupervised. See Brittain Decl. II ¶ 7 (“We 

have never contacted . . . social services or the police regarding a parent’s failure to supervise a 

child. We have never evicted a tenant for failing to supervise a child.” (emphasis in original)); 

Johnson Decl. Opp’n SJ ¶ 3. However, this fact does not raise a genuine dispute as to defendants’ 

liability. As plaintiffs noted at hearing, a property manager cannot create a discriminatory multistep policy and then avoid liability by not implementing certain steps. Defendants do not dispute 

that they created the facially discriminatory “Brief Recap of Notes” document and distributed it to 

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all on-site managers as official guidance. This alone is a sufficient basis for liability under the 

FHA. Cf. Iniestra, 886 F. Supp. 2d at 1166 (evidence regarding the specific implementation of 

the policy may limit damages, but not liability). 

As to the evidence of safety risks, although defendants have now identified 

evidence substantiating some of the purported safety hazards at the complex, they have presented 

no new evidence that the “Brief Recap of Notes” policy was the appropriate response to those 

safety concerns. See Prev. Order 14. Miller identified safety hazards at the complex created by 

defendants’ practices, but did not advocate for a strict child supervision policy as the solution. 

Rather, he proposed defendants take other actions, such as changing their practice of leaving the 

gate open for extended periods. See Miller Dep. 69, 154–56, 158, 223–25. The existence of 

dangerous conditions by itself does not justify policies that discriminate against children; a policy 

must be adequately tailored and sufficiently necessary to justify the differential treatment. See 

Prev. Order 11–13 (interpreting the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Community House as implicitly 

requiring heightened tailoring, but not requiring a policy to be the least restrictive means of 

achieving the allowed interests); id. at 14 (concluding the policy is not adequately tailored to 

respond to the purported safety concerns). Otherwise, property managers would have an 

incentive to create unsafe conditions in order to justify rules discriminating against children. 

Defendants also note that Miller included a sample policy in a handbook he published for 

property managers in 1993 that is even more restrictive of children than defendants’ policy is. 

Miller Dep. 170–71, 194 & Ex. E, ECF No. 116-8. Although this fact may undermine Miller’s 

credibility, it does not create a material dispute of fact or cause the court to re-think its prior legal 

analysis. See, e.g., Feezor v. Excel Stockton, LLC, No. 12-0156, 2013 WL 2485623, at *2 (E.D. 

Cal. June 10, 2013) (“[A]n expert witness cannot give an opinion as to her legal conclusion, i.e.,

an opinion on the ultimate issue of law.” (quoting Nationwide Transp. Fin. v. Cass Info. Sys., 

Inc., 523 F.3d 1051, 1058 (9th Cir. 2008)) (emphasis in original)). 

Defendants have not shown reconsideration is warranted based on new evidence. 

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2. New District Court Case 

Defendants next argue reconsideration is warranted in light of a district court 

decision, Campbell v. Vitran Express Inc., No. 11-05029, 2016 WL 873009 (C.D. Cal. Mar. 2, 

2016) (denying partial summary judgment based on a facially defective employment policy). 

Mot. Recons. 11–12. However helpful they may be at times, other district court decisions are not 

binding on this court. Camreta v. Greene, 563 U.S. 692, 709 n.7 (2011). It would greatly strain 

the court’s time and resources to reconsider its prior orders whenever another district court issued 

a decision supporting the losing party’s position. The Campbell decision does not warrant 

reconsideration of the court’s prior order here. 

3. Limitation to “Young” Children 

Finally, defendants argue the court erred by not considering whether the policy’s 

limitation to “young” children rendered it lawful. Mot. Recons. 12–14. Defendants primarily 

rely on dicta in another district court decision, Pack v. Fort Washington II, 689 F. Supp. 2d 1237 

(E.D. Cal. 2009). In Pack, the court held that a requirement that children ages ten and under be 

supervised by an adult when outside was “overbroad and unduly restrictive,” but opined that “it 

would be reasonable to require adult supervision for young children.” Id. at 1243. This court in 

its prior order considered Pack, among other authorities, and concluded defendants’ policy was 

not adequately tailored to respond to their purported safety concerns. Prev. Order 12–14. In 

making this determination, the court considered all of the relevant facts before the court, 

including the specific language of defendants’ policy. See, e.g., Prev. Order 3–5, 10–11, 13–15 

(noting defendants’ policy applies to “young children”). Reconsideration is not warranted on this 

basis. 

For the foregoing reasons, the court DENIES defendants’ motion for 

reconsideration of its prior order granting partial summary judgment for Project Sentinel. The 

court next considers plaintiffs’ currently pending motion for partial summary judgment. 

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III. MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT 

A. Legal Standard 

A court will grant summary judgment “if . . . 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 “threshold inquiry” is whether “there are any genuine factual issues that properly can be 

resolved only by a finder of fact because they may reasonably be resolved in favor of either 

party.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 250 (1986). 

Rule 56 also authorizes the granting of summary judgment on part of a claim or 

defense, known as partial summary judgment. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a) (“A party may move for 

summary judgment, identifying each claim or defense—or the part of each claim or defense—on 

which summary judgment is sought.”). The standard that applies to a motion for partial summary 

judgment is the same as that which applies to a motion for summary judgment. See State of 

California ex rel. Cal. Dep’t of Toxic Substances Control v. Campbell, 138 F.3d 772, 780 (9th 

Cir. 1998) (applying summary judgment standard to motion for summary adjudication); ARC of 

Cal. v. Douglas, No. 11-02545, 2015 WL 631426, at *3 (E.D. Cal. Feb. 13, 2015). 

The moving party bears the initial burden of “informing the district court of the 

basis for its motion, and identifying those portions of [the record] which it believes demonstrate 

the absence of a genuine issue of material fact.” Celotex, 477 U.S. at 323. The burden then shifts 

to the nonmoving party to “go beyond the pleadings” and “designate specific facts showing that 

there is a genuine issue for trial.” Id. at 324 (quotation marks and citation omitted). The nonmoving party “must do more than simply show that there is some metaphysical doubt as to the 

material facts.” Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586 (1986). 

“Only disputes over facts that might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing law will 

properly preclude the entry of summary judgment.” Anderson, 477 U.S. at 247–48. 

In deciding a motion for summary judgment, the court draws all inferences and 

views all evidence in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Matsushita, 475 U.S. at 

587–88; Whitman v. Mineta, 541 F.3d 929, 931 (9th Cir. 2008). “Where the record taken as a 

whole could not lead a rational trier of fact to find for the non-moving party, there is no ‘genuine 

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issue for trial.’” Matsushita, 475 U.S. at 587 (quoting First Nat’l Bank of Ariz. v. Cities Serv. 

Co., 391 U.S. 253, 289 (1968)). 

B. Discussion 

Plaintiffs now seek partial summary judgment on their first claim for violation of 

42 U.S.C. § 3604(b), on the third claim for violation of California Civil Code sections 51 and 

51.2, and on the fourth claim for violation of 42 U.S.C. § 3604(c). MSJ 1. Specifically, plaintiff 

Project Sentinel seeks partial summary judgment as to the liability of defendants Brittain and 

Johnson on the first claim; plaintiffs Bischoff and Dempsey seek partial summary judgment as to 

the liability of all defendants on the first and third claims; and all plaintiffs seek partial summary 

judgment as to the liability of defendants Brittain, Brittain Commercial, and RZM on the fourth 

claim. Id. 

The parties in their briefing analyze plaintiffs’ FHA claims and Unruh Act claims 

together. Id. at 10–11; Opp’n SJ 7. The provisions of the FHA and the Unruh Act involved here 

protect substantially the same rights against housing discrimination and are in fact subject to the 

same analysis. See Cabrera v. Alvarez, 977 F. Supp. 2d 969, 975 (N.D. Cal. 2013); Iniestra, 886 

F. Supp. 2d at 1170. Accordingly, the court likewise analyzes the claims together. The court 

does not here review arguments rejected above or in the court’s previous order. The court first 

considers plaintiffs’ claims under § 3604(b). 

1. Claims Under 42 U.S.C. § 3604(b) and the Unruh Act 

a) Project Sentinel’s Claims Against Brittain and Johnson 

As discussed above, the court previously granted Project Sentinel’s motion for 

partial summary judgment against defendants Brittain Commercial and RZM under § 3604(b) for 

maintaining and implementing the facially discriminatory “Brief Recap of Notes” policy. See 

Prev. Order. Project Sentinel now argues Brittain and Johnson also are liable under § 3604(b) for 

creating, implementing, and following the “Brief Recap of Notes” policy. MSJ 9–10; see Prev. 

Order 9–15. Individual employees can be held liable for their own unlawful conduct under the 

FHA. The language of § 3604 broadly makes it unlawful “to discriminate against any person in 

the terms, conditions, or privileges of sale or rental of a dwelling, or in the provision of services 

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or facilities in connection therewith,” without limiting which persons or entities may be held 

liable. 42 U.S.C. § 3604(b); cf. Meyer v. Holley, 537 U.S. 280, 285 (2003) (traditional agency 

and vicarious liability principles apply to liability under the FHA); cf. also Dillon v. AFBIC Dev. 

Corp., 597 F.2d 556, 562 (5th Cir. 1979) (“An agent has no obligation to carry out his principal’s 

order to do an illegal act.” (citing Restatement (Second) of Agency § 411 (1958)); Hous. 

Opportunities Project For Excellence, Inc. v. Key Colony No. 4 Condo. Assoc., Inc., 510 F. Supp. 

2d 1003, 1014 (S.D. Fla. 2007) (“[A]n excuse offered by an employee that she was acting at the 

behest of her employer does not absolve her from the illegal actions she took nor does it preclude 

her from liability.”).

Brittain admitted during her deposition that she prepared the “Brief Recap of 

Notes” policy and caused it to be distributed to the on-site managers. Brittain Dep. 106, 108, 

Feb. 8, 2016; see also Brittain Decl. I ¶¶ 9–12, 15. Accordingly, Brittain is also liable for 

implementing a facially discriminatory policy under § 3604(b). 

However, the record is less clear as to Johnson’s involvement. Plaintiffs in their 

briefing group Johnson and Brittain together and argue that together they have “created, 

implemented, and followed” the unlawful “Brief Recap of Notes” document. MSJ 10. At 

hearing, plaintiffs confirmed their position, that Johnson’s own actions violated the FHA and that 

he also is liable as a joint tortfeasor for helping implement the policy. Plaintiffs rely solely on a 

few statements by Johnson at his deposition that he understood that the “Brief Recap of Notes” 

document should be followed as closely as possible, and that he took children home on at least 

two occasions because they were unsupervised. Johnson Dep. 95–100, 104–05. It is not clear to 

the court from this vague, undeveloped testimony that Johnson violated the FHA. The court finds 

plaintiffs have not met their burden of showing the absence of a genuine dispute of fact as to 

Johnson’s liability under the FHA. 

The court GRANTS Project Sentinel’s motion for summary judgment against 

Brittain for a violation of § 3604(b) and the Unruh Act. The court DENIES the motion against 

Johnson. 

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b) Bischoff’s and Dempsey’s Claims Against all Defendants 

The court has now found defendants Bischoff Commercial, RZM, and Bischoff are 

liable to Project Sentinel for implementing the facially discriminatory “Brief Recap of Notes” 

policy. Plaintiffs Bischoff and Dempsey are likewise entitled to summary judgment against these 

defendants on their first and third claims. It is undisputed Bischoff and Dempsey, who are fathers 

of minor children, resided at Birchwood Gardens while defendants adopted the “Brief Recap of 

Notes” policy, and Dempsey continues to reside at Birchwood Gardens. UMF Nos. 19–22; 

Dempsey Dep. 17. Accordingly, defendants are also liable to Bischoff and Dempsey for having 

adopted their facially discriminatory policy. See 42 U.S.C. § 3613 (creating private right of 

action for “aggrieved person[s]”); cf. Havens Realty Corp. v. Coleman, 455 U.S. 363, 372, 375–

76 (1982) (Congress intended standing to sue under the FHA to extend to the full limits of Article 

III); Silver Sage Partners, Ltd. v. City of Desert Hot Springs, 251 F.3d 814, 827 (9th Cir. 2001) 

(irreparable injury may be presumed from a defendant’s discrimination and violations of fair 

housing statutes).

Defendants attempt to defeat summary judgment by raising disputes of fact that 

are not material to plaintiffs’ motion. As with their motion for reconsideration, they insist they 

attempted to terminate Bischoff’s and Dempsey’s tenancies as a result of legitimate lease 

violations, not because their children were unsupervised. Opp’n SJ 7–10. However, plaintiffs 

Bischoff and Dempsey move for summary judgment only as to defendants’ facially 

discriminatory “Brief Recap of Notes” policy; they do not move for summary judgment on 

whether defendants’ attempted termination of their tenancies independently violated the FHA. 

See Reply SJ 4 & n.4. On these facts, that plaintiffs allegedly violated the lease agreement does 

not contradict the fact that defendants maintained a facially discriminatory child supervision 

policy. 

The court GRANTS Bischoff’s and Dempsey’s motion for partial summary 

judgment as to the liability of Brittain, Brittain Commercial, and RZM under § 3604(b) and the 

Unruh Act. This order is limited to their liability for adopting the facially discriminatory “Brief 

Recap of Notes” policy, and does not address their attempted termination of plaintiffs’ tenancies. 

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For the same reasons provided above, the court DENIES the motion against 

Johnson. 

2. Claims under 42 U.S.C. § 3604(c) and the Unruh Act 

All plaintiffs seek summary judgment against defendants Brittain, Brittain 

Commercial, and RZM under 42 U.S.C. § 3604(c) for the discriminatory “Brief Recap of Notes” 

document. As stated above, § 3604(c) makes it unlawful 

[t]o make, print, or publish, or cause to be made, printed, or 

published any notice, statement, or advertisement, with respect to 

the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, 

limitation, or discrimination based on . . . familial status, . . . or an 

intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination. 

42 U.S.C. § 3604(c). The implementing regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Housing 

and Urban Development (“HUD”) provide that these prohibitions “apply to all written or oral 

notices or statements by a person engaged in the sale or rental of a dwelling.” 24 C.F.R. 

§ 100.75(b). It states that notices and statements subject to the requirements “include any 

applications, flyers, brochures, deeds, signs, banners, posters, billboards or any documents used 

with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling.” Id. Prohibited statements include discriminatory 

statements “[e]xpress[ed] to agents, brokers, employees, prospective sellers or renters or any 

other persons.” Id. § 100.75(c)(2). To determine whether a statement violates § 3604(c), courts 

ask whether it “would suggest a preference to an ordinary reader or listener.” Johnson v. Macy, 

145 F. Supp. 3d 907, 916 (C.D. Cal. 2015) (citation and quotation marks omitted). “Intent is not 

a necessary element of a § 3604(c) violation.” Iniestra, 886 F. Supp. 2d at 1169; Rojas v. Bird, 

No. 13-04967, 2014 WL 260597, at *1 (C.D. Cal. Jan. 10, 2014). 

As the court found in its previous order, defendants’ “Brief Recap of Notes” 

document plainly indicates a limitation on the use of common areas of the complex based on 

familial status. See Prev. Order 10; see also Iniestra, 886 F. Supp. 2d at 1169; Pack, 689 F. Supp. 

2d at 1246. It is undisputed defendants Brittain and Brittain Commercial caused the statements to 

be made and distributed to Brittain Commercial’s employees. Brittain Dep. 106–08, Feb. 8, 

2016; Brittain Decl. I ¶ 15; UMF No. 9. Accordingly defendants Brittain and Brittain 

Commercial violated § 3604(c). As the owner of Birchwood Gardens, RZM is vicariously liable 

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for the violation under § 3604(c). Meyer, 537 U.S. at 285; Llanos v. Estate of Coehlo, 24 F. 

Supp. 2d 1052, 1061 (E.D. Cal. 1998); see Prev. Order 15–16. The court GRANTS plaintiffs’ 

motion for summary judgment under § 3604(c) and the Unruh Act against defendants Brittain, 

Brittain Commercial, and RZM for making discriminatory statements. 

Finally, the court considers plaintiffs’ motion for interim attorney’s fees. 

IV. MOTION FOR ATTORNEY’S FEES 

A. Legal Standard 

The FHA authorizes an award of reasonable attorney’s fees and costs to a 

“prevailing party.” 42 U.S.C. § 3613(c)(2). The term “prevailing party” under the FHA “has the 

same meaning as such term has in [42 U.S.C. § 1988].” Id. § 3602(o). “The purpose of § 1988 is 

to ensure effective access to the judicial process for persons with civil rights grievances. 

Accordingly, a prevailing plaintiff should ordinarily recover an attorney’s fee unless special 

circumstances would render such an award unjust.” Ballen v. City of Redmond, 466 F.3d 736, 

746 (9th Cir. 2006) (quoting Hensley v. Eckerhart, 461 U.S. 424, 429 (1983)). 

 A plaintiff is a “prevailing party” for purposes of § 1988 “when actual relief on the 

merits of his [or her] claim materially alters the legal relationship between the parties by 

modifying the defendant’s behavior in a way that directly benefits the plaintiff.” Higher Taste, 

Inc. v. City of Tacoma, 717 F.3d 712, 715 (9th Cir. 2013) (quoting Farrar v. Hobby, 506 U.S. 

103, 111–12 (1992)). Relief “on the merits” occurs “when the material alteration of the parties’ 

legal relationship is accompanied by ‘judicial imprimatur on the change.’” Id. (quoting 

Buckhannon Bd. & Care Home, Inc. v. W. Va. Dep’t of Health & Human Res., 532 U.S. 598, 605 

(2001)). Examples of such relief, depending on the facts, have included achieving a judgment on 

the merits, winning a preliminary injunction, or entering into a legally enforceable settlement 

agreement. Carbonell v. I.N.S., 429 F.3d 894, 898–99 (9th Cir. 2005); see, e.g., Watson v. City. 

of Riverside, 300 F.3d 1092, 1096 (9th Cir. 2002) (preliminary injunction); Richard S. v. Dep’t of 

Dev. Servs., 317 F.3d 1080, 1086 (9th Cir. 2003) (settlement). To satisfy the “material alteration” 

requirement, the relief obtained must be sufficiently “enduring,” Yamada v. Snipes, 786 F.3d 

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1182, 1208 (2015), and cannot be “purely technical or de minimis,” Texas State Teacher Ass’n. v. 

Garland Indep. Sch. Dist., 489 U.S. 782, 792 (1989). 

B. Discussion 

Plaintiffs Bischoff and Dempsey argue they are prevailing parties based on this 

court’s orders approving their stipulated temporary restraining order and granting their motion for 

preliminary injunction. Atty’s Fees Mot. 8–10 (discussing ECF Nos. 8 & 20). Plaintiff Project 

Sentinel contends it is a prevailing party based on this court’s order granting its motion for partial 

summary judgment as to the liability of defendants Brittain Commercial and RZM. Id. at 8 

(discussing Prev. Order). 

The court first examines three Ninth Circuit cases—Watson, 300 F.3d 1092, 

Higher Taste, 717 F.3d 712, and Yamada, 786 F.3d 1182—for additional guidance on the 

applicable legal standards for prevailing party status, and then applies those principles to 

plaintiffs here. 

1. Relevant Case Law 

Plaintiffs, and especially Bischoff and Dempsey, rely heavily on the Ninth 

Circuit’s decision in Watson. See Atty’s Fees Mot. 8–10. In Watson, the plaintiff, a former 

county deputy sheriff, alleged that county officials violated his rights by compelling him to write 

a report about an incident in which he allegedly used excessive force, and by refusing to allow 

him to consult with a lawyer prior to writing the report. 300 F.3d at 1093–94. Among other 

relief, the plaintiff sought an injunction enjoining the county from using the report at the hearing 

on his appeal of his termination from the sheriff’s office. Id. at 1094. The court issued a 

preliminary injunction prohibiting introduction of the report at the administrative hearing. Id. 

Nearly two years later, long after the administrative hearing had passed, the court granted 

summary judgment in favor of the defendants on all issues except for the plaintiff’s claim for 

permanent injunctive relief, as to which the court found a triable dispute of fact. Id. By that time, 

however, the claim for a permanent injunction had become moot, so the court dismissed the case. 

Id. 

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The Watson court held that the plaintiff was a prevailing party under § 1988, 

because by securing a preliminary injunction that prevented the use of the report at the 

administrative hearing, he had “obtained significant, court-ordered relief that accomplished one of 

the main purposes of his lawsuit.” Id. at 1096. The Ninth Circuit also found the district court did 

not abuse its discretion when it awarded the plaintiff fees for time spent litigating his unsuccessful 

claims. Id. at 1096–97. The court distinguished the case from cases in which the “plaintiff scores 

an early victory by securing a preliminary injunction, [but] then loses on the merits as the case 

plays out and judgment is entered against him—a case of winning a battle but losing the war.” Id. 

at 1096. Watson was not such a case, the court noted, because the claim for permanent injunctive 

relief “was not decided on the merits . . . [or] dissolved for lack of entitlement”; rather, “[it] was 

rendered moot . . . after the preliminary injunction had done its job.” Id.

Two more recent Ninth Circuit decisions—Higher Taste and Yamada—help 

further define the contours of prevailing party status where a plaintiff secures an early preliminary 

injunction. In Higher Taste, the city park district adopted a resolution that would ban the plaintiff 

non-profit religious organization from selling t-shirts along the main walkway leading to the 

entrance of a zoo, which it had done for years. 717 F.3d at 714. The plaintiff organization sued 

the district under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 based on alleged violations of the First and Fourteenth 

Amendments, and successfully secured a preliminary injunction enjoining enforcement of the 

resolution. Id. at 714–15. Relatively early on in the case, before the court issued a final ruling on 

the merits, the parties entered into a settlement agreement that allowed the plaintiff to continue 

selling its shirts. Id. at 715. 

The Ninth Circuit in Higher Taste held that the plaintiff was a prevailing party, 

and in so doing, elaborated on the applicable legal standards. The court noted that it is not 

enough that a preliminary injunction generally satisfies the judicial imprimatur requirement and 

forces the defendant to something it otherwise would not have to do. Id. at 716–17. For a 

plaintiff to be a prevailing party, the preliminary injunction must also achieve “enduring” change 

in the parties’ legal relationship. Id. at 717. The court explained that a plaintiff is a prevailing 

party “when [it] wins a preliminary injunction and the case is rendered moot before final 

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judgment, either by the passage of time[,] other circumstances beyond the parties’ control, . . . . 

[or] by the defendant’s own actions.” Id. In such cases, the relief is sufficiently enduring 

because, by virtue of the case’s mootness, the relief “[is] no longer subject to being ‘reversed, 

dissolved, or otherwise undone by the final decision in the same case.’” Id. (quoting Sole v. 

Wyner, 551 U.S. 74, 83 (2007)). By contrast, a plaintiff is not a prevailing party when it 

“succeeds at the preliminary injunction stage but loses on the merits after the case is litigated to 

final judgment.” Id. Applying these principles, the Higher Taste court concluded that the 

plaintiff organization was a prevailing party because the settlement agreement “transformed what 

had been temporary relief capable of being undone . . . into a lasting alteration of the parties’ legal 

relationship,” and “gave [the plaintiff] what it had hoped to obtain through a permanent 

injunction.” Id. at 718. 

The Ninth Circuit articulated similar principles in Yamada. In Yamada, the 

plaintiffs secured a preliminary injunction on their claim that Hawaii campaign finance laws 

limiting contributions to noncandidate committees to $1,000 violated the First Amendment. 786 

F.3d at 1207. The defendants filed an interlocutory appeal, and then abandoned it. Id. On the 

parties’ subsequent cross-motions for summary judgment, the district court permanently enjoined 

enforcement of the law as applied to the plaintiffs’ proposed contributions. Id. Citing Watson, 

the district court concluded that the plaintiffs became prevailing parties under § 1988 when the 

defendants abandoned their appeal of the preliminary injunction. Id. at 1208. As a result, the 

court concluded it did not have authority under Ninth Circuit Rule 39-1.6 to award fees pertaining 

to the interlocutory appeal, because the Ninth Circuit had not transferred the fee request to the 

district court. Id. The Ninth Circuit in Yamada found the district court’s analysis to be flawed in 

part because, contrary to the district court’s conclusion, the plaintiffs did not become prevailing 

parties until the district court entered final judgment against the defendants on their claim. Id. 

(reversing district court’s denial of fees arising from the prior appeal). The court distinguished 

the case from Watson. Id. It limited Watson’s holding to the proposition that, “when a plaintiff 

wins a preliminary injunction and the case is rendered moot before final judgment, either by 

passage of time or other circumstances beyond the parties’ control, the plaintiff is a prevailing 

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party eligible for a fee award.” Yamada, 786 F.3d at 1208 (quoting Higher Taste, 717 F.3d at 

717) (emphasis in Yamada). In Yamada, the Ninth Circuit found the plaintiffs’ challenge to the 

campaign finance laws was not “rendered moot” until the district court entered final judgment 

against the defendants on that claim. Id. Before that point, the preliminary injunction could have 

been negated by a final decision on the merits. Id. 

2. Analysis 

Applying the principles of Watson, Higher Taste, and Yamada here, the court finds 

plaintiffs are not prevailing parties at this stage. The relief they have obtained is not sufficiently 

enduring to confer prevailing party status, because the temporary restraining order, preliminary 

injunction, and order granting partial summary judgment all are interlocutory orders that could be 

reversed, dissolved, or otherwise undone by this court’s final decision in this case. See Santa 

Monica BayKeeper, 254 F.3d at 885 (“As long as a district court has jurisdiction over [a] case, 

then it possesses the inherent procedural power to reconsider, rescind, or modify an interlocutory 

order for cause seen by it to be sufficient.” (citations and emphasis omitted)). 

The fact that Bischoff’s claim for injunctive relief is now moot does not make him 

a prevailing party. Unlike in Watson, the claim was rendered moot by Bischoff’s own conduct of 

submitting a notice of intent to vacate, rather than by defendants’ conduct or circumstances 

beyond the parties’ control. See Higher Taste, 717 F.3d at 717. Also, unlike the plaintiffs in 

Watson and Higher Taste, Bischoff has not achieved what he had hoped to obtain through a 

permanent injunction, to continue residing at the apartment complex after the lawsuit. See id. 

at 718. Accordingly, this case does not fall within the narrow circumstances in which a party is a 

prevailing party before final judgment based on a preliminary injunction. 

In addition, the court is not persuaded by Bischoff’s and Dempsey’s argument that 

the preliminary injunction achieved enduring change because it allowed them to reach their oneyear residency milestones which, under California Civil Code Section 1946.1, legally entitles 

them to at least sixty-days’ notice before defendants could attempt to terminate their tenancies 

without cause. Nothing on the face of the complaint suggests that one of plaintiffs’ main 

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purposes in bringing suit was to become entitled to this sixty-day’s notice. Rather, this relief 

appears to be “purely technical” and “de minimis.” Texas State Teacher Ass’n, 489 U.S. at 792. 

Because plaintiffs have not at this stage satisfied the requirements for prevailing 

party status under § 1988, the court DENIES without prejudice their motion for attorney’s fees 

and costs.

V. CONCLUSION 

For the foregoing reasons, the court DENIES defendants’ motion for 

reconsideration; DENIES plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment against Johnson and 

GRANTS it in all other regards; and DENIES without prejudice plaintiffs’ motion for attorney’s 

fees and costs. The court OVERRULES as moot defendants’ objection to plaintiffs’ notice of 

recent consent judgment and attorney fee award (ECF No. 127). 

The claims not resolved by this order are all of plaintiffs’ claims against Johnson, 

plaintiffs’ claim against all defendants under 42 U.S.C. § 3604(b) based on the allegedly 

discriminatory attempted eviction of Bischoff and Dempsey, and plaintiffs’ claim against all 

defendants under 42 U.S.C. § 3617. 

IT IS SO ORDERED. 

DATED: September 15, 2016. 

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