Opinion ID: 853842
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Stovall's Discrimination Claim

Text: The Alders argue that there is no substantial evidence to support the Commission's finding that Stovall was denied equal housing based on race because Stovall had no intention of moving into Stoney Pike and never sought permission from the Alders to move in. This assumes that one must be denied housing to be personally aggrieved by a discriminatory practice. The General Assembly has directed us to construe the Civil Rights Law broadly to effectuate its purpose and defined complainant as any individual personally aggrieved by a discriminatory practice IND.CODE §§ 22-9-1-2(f) & 22-9-1-3(n)(1) (1998). Accordingly, the language of this statute does not limit recovery to those who are denied housing as a result of a discriminatory practice. It provides relief to any individual who is personally aggrieved by a discriminatory practice. In simple form, the Alders made clear to Jackson that her association with Stovall, an African-American, would require her to leave Stoney Pike. Telling a tenant that he or she may not associate with a person of a specified race is plainly a discriminatory practice and both the tenant and the person with whom he or she associates are aggrieved. The following evidence supports the Commission's conclusion that Stovall was personally aggrieved by the Alders' discriminatory practices. Stovall's race was the target of Alders' efforts to remove Jackson, who until her association with Stovall, was permitted to live undisturbed in the park. Jackson testified that she didn't have any problems with Mr. Adler and his wife until Jackson and Stovall started seeing each other more frequently and Stovall visited Jackson's home more often. After the Alders' attempted to evict Jackson, Stovall testified that everything got even worse . . . everybody was looking at [me] like, you know, [I was] some type of monster or something. In an effort to allow Jackson to continue living at the park, Stovall discontinued his visits to her home and the two stayed at his home. This is sufficient to support a finding that Stovall was personally aggrieved by the Alders' discriminatory practices and, as such, is a proper complainant entitled to recover under the Civil Rights Law. This conclusion is consistent with federal decisions upholding damage awards to parties other than the party who was denied housing. In construing Indiana's Civil Rights Law we look to federal case law for guidance. Indiana Civil Rights Comm'n v. Southern Indiana Gas & Elec. Co., 648 N.E.2d 674, 680-81 (Ind.Ct.App.1995). In Secretary of Housing and Urban Development v. Blackwell, the Eleventh Circuit held that white tenants to whom the vendor leased the house after refusing to close a purchase with African-American purchasers were aggrieved parties entitled to damages for economic and emotional losses. 908 F.2d 864, 873 (11th Cir.1990). The white couple testified that although they rented the house unaware of the defendant's refusal to sell the home to the black couple, they suffered embarrassment and the wife suffered stress at her job as a teacher in a multi-racial school as a result of defendant's discrimination and the publicity surrounding it. The court also approved moving costs because the couple had to relocate when the house was sold to the African-American couple. See also Mountain Side Mobile Estates Partnership v. Secretary of Hous. and Urban Dev., 56 F.3d 1243, 1249 (10th Cir.1995) (unrelated adult residing with family in mobile home park had standing as aggrieved person to challenge housing discrimination based on familial status). Because Stovall was aggrieved by the Alders' discriminatory practices, the Commission was authorized to restore his losses. See IND.CODE § 22-9-1-6(k)(A) (1998). The Commission awarded Stovall $15 in out-of-pocket damages. Based on Stovall's testimony that he had not incurred any economic losses as a result of the case or from Jackson's move, we conclude that there is no substantial evidence to support that award. His emotional distress and punitive damages are discussed below.