Opinion ID: 559980
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Claims Under the Fair Housing Act

Text: 14 Sofarelli alleges that Pinellas County (through its employee, the Pinellas County Sheriff), the Pinellas County Sheriff, Hibbing, Swetay, and other participating members of Hibbing's community to whom we will refer as the neighbors, violated his civil rights under the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C.A. Secs. 3604 and 3617. Sofarelli argues that his plan to move the house onto a lot abutting John's Parkway and potentially to sell the house and lot to a minority purchaser constitutes aiding or encouraging that prospective purchaser's exercise of the right to housing under Sec. 3604. 1 Therefore, Sofarelli contends that appellees' efforts to prevent the move of the house violate Sec. 3617 2 as unlawful interferences with his aid and encouragement of the purchaser's right to obtain the housing to which he is entitled under Sec. 3604. 15 We will first address Sofarelli's Fair Housing Act claims against Hibbing, Swetay and their neighbors. In order to prevail under the Act, Sofarelli has to establish that race played some role in the actions of Hibbing, Swetay and the neighbors. See United States v. Mitchell, 580 F.2d 789, 791-92 (5th Cir.1978). 3 16 We find that Sofarelli may be able to prove a set of facts which would establish violations of the Fair Housing Act. Sofarelli alleges that members of Hibbing's community committed certain actions--such as leaving a note threatening to break [Sofarelli] in half if he did not get out of the neighborhood and running up to one of Sofarelli's trucks, hitting it, shouting obscenities and spitting at Sofarelli--which would clearly constitute coercion and intimidation under Sec. 3617. In addition, Sofarelli presented evidence to the district court which suggests that Hibbing, Swetay, and their neighbors had racial motivations for these actions. An article in the September 21, 1989 issue of the St. Petersburg Times quotes Swetay as stating, What's stopping him (Sofarelli) from selling it to coloreds? ... Once that happens, the whole neighborhood is gone. Marie Tessier, Tug of War Over House Turns Racial, St. Petersburg Times, Sept. 12, 1989. The article states that both Hibbing and Swetay said they don't want the house on their block partly because they're afraid black people might move in. Id. 17 The statements in the newspaper suggest racial animus on the part of Hibbing and Swetay and preclude Rule 12(b)(6) dismissal of Sofarelli's claims against them under the Fair Housing Act. If Sofarelli can prove, as the quotations in the newspaper article suggest, that Hibbing and Swetay interfered with the house move in order to prevent someone of a particular race from being able to move into their neighborhood, Sofarelli would be able to establish a colorable claim against them under the Fair Housing Act. 18 The dismissal was also improper as to the neighbors--Jeffrey S. Harman, Edward D. Carlson, Jr., and Marytherese Bancroft--because they purportedly acted in concert with and for the same reasons as Hibbing and Swetay. Therefore, the dismissals of the Fair Housing Act claims against Hibbing, Swetay, and the neighbors in the removed case and the original federal case are vacated. 19 We agree with the district court, however, that Sofarelli fails to state a claim under the Fair Housing Act against Pinellas County and the Pinellas County Sheriff. Sofarelli's only theory of liability against Pinellas County is based upon the actions of its employee, the Pinellas County Sheriff, 4 so we must examine the sheriff's actions in assessing the viability of Sofarelli's claims against both the sheriff and the county. 20 Under Mitchell, 580 F.2d at 791-92, Sofarelli must establish that race played some role in the actions of the sheriff to recover under the Fair Housing Act. Sofarelli concedes that there is absolutely no evidence of racial motivation on the part of the sheriff. Appellant's Brief at 49. Because Sofarelli concedes that he is not aware of and does not allege any claims that the Pinellas County Sheriff acted with racial animus, id., Sofarelli fails to state a claim under the Fair Housing Act. Therefore, we affirm the dismissals of the Fair Housing Act claims against both Pinellas County and the Pinellas County Sheriff in the original federal case.