Opinion ID: 3021403
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: This matter comes on before the court on an appeal by Deanna Turner from an order of the district court entered March 30, 2005, dismissing her action against the Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”). In this case Turner alleged that HUD failed to perform mandatory duties that the Fair Housing Act (“FHA”), 42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq., imposed on it with respect to her status as a residential lessee.1 In particular, Turner alleged that in ruling on a complaint she filed with HUD against her landlord, HUD did not determine from an analysis of the facts whether she had been a victim of a discriminatory housing practice. Instead, relying on the res judicata effect of a judgment in favor of her landlord in a state court proceeding, HUD dismissed her complaint as it found no reasonable cause for the complaint. That unfavorable outcome in the HUD proceeding led Turner to bring this action against HUD. The district court dismissed Turner’s action as it believed that the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”), 5 U.S.C. § 701 et seq., did not provide for judicial review of HUD’s determination. For the reasons set forth below, we will affirm the order of dismissal. 1 We discuss the history of the FHA in Mitchell v. Cellone, 389 F.3d 86 (3d Cir. 2004). 2