Opinion ID: 2977994
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Fair Housing Commission Testers

Text: On September 29, 2004, Mrs. Keck filed a complaint about the Hotel with the Fair Housing Center of Southeastern Michigan. To investigate the claims, the Center sent four pairs of “testers” to the Hotel between October 2004 and August 2005. Each pair was alike except for race, with one tester being Caucasian and the other being African-American. Upon arrival at the Hotel, each tester inquired about having a wedding reception. Based on the Hotel’s response, the Center classified the results of the “tests” in one of three ways: evidence of discriminatory differences in treatment; inconclusive; or no significant differences in treatment. The first test took place on October 15, 2004. The African-American tester was unable to meet the Wedding Specialist, but was encouraged to fill out an Inquiry Form. The Caucasian tester was able to meet with the Wedding Specialist, offered a ten-day hold on her desired reception date, and invited to visit a wedding reception scheduled for the coming weekend. Based on the discrepancies, the test was classified as revealing evidence of discriminatory differences in treatment. The second test took place on June 14, 2005. The African-American tester had to wait fifteen minutes to see the Wedding Specialist and was eventually told to return with her fiancé. The Caucasian tester waited but two minutes and, as before, was invited to return to see a wedding that weekend. This test was classified as revealing evidence of discriminatory differences in treatment. The third test took place on July 26, 2005. The African-American tester was unable to meet with the Wedding Specialist and was told that there was a $12,000 food and beverage minimum for wedding receptions No. 08-2024 Keck v. Graham Hotel Sys., Inc. Page 6 at the Hotel. The Caucasian tester met with the Wedding Specialist and was offered a tenday hold on her desired reception date. This test was classified as revealing evidence of discrimination. The fourth and final test took place on August 12, 2005. Both testers were able to meet with the Wedding Specialist, told of the deposit required, and given a list of available dates for receptions. This test was classified as not revealing significant differences in treatment.