Court Opinion

ID: 9862030
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-25 00:58:23.603172+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:29:56.588630
License: Public Domain

Mr. JUSTICE ENGLISH, dissenting: I would reverse the judgment as to both complaints. The Hamilton complaint — which must be considered as the basic pleading which makes the charge against BeH Realty — is set forth in the majority opinion. It consists of five sentences. The first two allege that Hamilton asked about the purchase of a four-bedroom house in Gage Park, and was told by the clerk that she handled only rentals. In the last sentence of the complaint, which constitutes its only charging part, Hamilton alleges that he was denied the opportunity of purchasing a home because of his race. It appears obvious to me, as it must have to the Hearing Examiner, the Commission, the Circuit Court, and to the majority of this court, that the charge made was established by neither the aHegations of fact nor the evidence introduced to support it. The other two sentences of the complaint allege thát Hamüton asked the clerk what rentals were available, and was told that his name would have to be put on a waiting list. Nothing more is alleged in regard to rentals. It is not charged that the maintenance of a waiting list for rentals constitutes a violation of the ordinance, nor is it charged by any language whatsoever that Hamilton was refused a rental listing because of his race. I believe that the complaint is therefore wholly defective and insufficient to support the finding of the Hearing Examiner (adopted by the Commission) that Hamilton “was deliberately and knowingly refused examination of listing of apartments because of his race or color.” The majority say that this point was waived because not raised soon enough, citing Supreme Court Rule 341(e) (7). The Supreme Court considered the essential character of this rule and other rules in Hux v. Raben, 38 Ill.2d 223, 224-225, where it concluded: “These provisions recognize that the responsibility of a reviewing court for a just result and for the maintenance of a sound and uniform body of precedent may sometimes override the considerations of waiver that stem from the adversary character of our system.” I deem that statement to be applicable here. Even if the Hamilton complaint were considered adequate, I also believe that the evidence failed to establish a violation of the ordinance as to him. In this, it must be borne in mind, of course, that the quantum of proof required in an ordinance penalty case is more than a “mere preponderance” of the evidence; a violation must be shown by a “clear preponderance” of the evidence. City of Rockford v. Maxwell, 92 Ill.App.2d 336, 340; City of Chicago v. Williams, 45 Ill.App.2d 327, 329; and City of Chicago v. Carney, 34 Ill.App.2d 303, 305-306. Hamilton testified that after he had overheard the clerk giving a white couple some information about rental listings, he inquired about the purchase of a four-bedroom house in the $18,000 to $24,000 price range. On being told he would have to talk to the man who was busy at the time (the same answer given to the white witness Fogel who asked to purchase a home), he then asked if there was anything available in rentals. The clerk replied that there was not, and when Hamilton pointed out to her that the couple had just been given rental listings, and asked if he was being refused because he was a Negro, she “went on and on in giving “You have to be placed on the fist,’ and so on.” His further testimony that she had thus “evaded the question” was no more than his own conclusion based on her having told him of the need to be on a waiting list. This conclusion must also be considered in the light of the complaint which recited his inquiry about rentals and then stated very simply: “She replied she would have to put my name on the waiting fist.” Proof was thus made that a white couple were given rental listings, but there was no proof that they had not been on a waiting list. Nor was there any proof that the apartments listed were in Gage Park. The record is also devoid of testimony concerning the availability of apartments in Gage Park, from which it could be determined that there was anything improper about the fact of a realtor’s maintaining a waiting list. What proof there is on this point in the newspaper advertisement exhibits is in favor of Bell. Commission’s Exhibit 6 consists of four smaU classified advertisements of “BeU Agy.” purportedly clipped from the Southwest Herald. They advertise apartments for rent, but their locations are not in Gage Park, and they bear no dates. Certainly, there is no significant probative value in these clippings which are not related in either time or place to the issue in question. Commission’s Exhibit 7 is a fuU page of classified advertising of the Southwest News-Herald for July 21, 1966. Since the Hamilton episode took place on July 12, and since there was no testimony comparing the market in Gage Park on the two dates, this exhibit, too, fails to prove what the Commission sought by its introduction. However, it is interesting for what it may be worth, as the only two rental advertisements of BeU were, again, for apartments outside Gage Park. The third Bell advertisement is in the ‘Wanted to Rent” column, and reads: FREE RENTAL SERVICE CHOICE TENANTS WAITING. In the same exhibit, competitors of BeU were also advertising in a way which indicates to me that waiting lists were a recognized practice at the time. The advertisements of three other real estate firms included: Choice Apts. Are Scarce!!! Register Now!! Married Soon? Register Now. Landlords — Free Service Screened Tenants Waiting. Free Fast Service, Call Today We have over 100 tenants waiting for apartments & houses. Free Service to Landlords Help! 100 Tenants Waiting. I conclude from these exhibits that there is no reasonable inference of discrimination to be drawn from the clerk’s having told Hamilton that his name would have to be placed on a waiting list. Furthermore, he was not denied a place on the list, as he never gave his name to the clerk for a waiting list or for any other purpose, the reason obviously being that he was actually not wanting to buy or to rent at all, but was simply “testing.” If he had requested and been refused a place on the waiting list, the situation would have been quite a bit different. The wholly admirable policy of the City, and the expressed purpose of the ordinance, is to assure equal opportunity to all residents, without discrimination because of race, “to obtain fair and adequate housing for themselves”; and to prohibit owners and their agents from refusing to rent housing accommodations to any person because of race. Chicago Fair Housing Ordinance, Sections 1 and 2. The specific acts prohibited, including that complained of in this case, ought to be examined, not isolated out of context, but in the light of this declared policy of the ordinance. By his own testimony it is conceded that Hamilton was not “denied the opportunity of purchasing a home because of [his] race,” even though he swore to the complaint alleging that he was. Neither was he denied the opportunity to rent an apartment, because he did not want to buy, and he did not want to rent. I therefore believe that Hamilton was not a “person aggrieved,” who alone is authorized to file a complaint under the ordinance. I respectfully suggest that the majority do not answer this question when they point out that the Commission has no power to provide private remedies against a realtor, and that a complainant may not exercise control over the proceeding after it has been initiated by him. I agree that proof of pecuniary damages to Hamilton would not be necessary, but one in his position, under the circumstances of this case, is still not an “aggrieved person” within the intent of the ordinance. We have been directed by the Commission to no case in point, and are aware of none. The Commission does cite Commission on Human Rights v. Knox Realty Corp., 290 N.Y.S.2d 633, but that case involved an actual refusal to a Negro of a specific apartment which was subsequently made available to a white person. Filippo v. Real Estate Commission of the District of Columbia, 223 A.2d 268, concerned the actual sale of housing to Negroes at higher prices. I have no doubt that the City Council became satisfied, from its investigation of the facts, that there was a need for the Fair Housing Ordinance. This being true, the Commission must have received many discrimination complaints from persons who in good faith were seeking housing accommodations. I find it difficult to understand, therefore, why there would be prosecution of a doubtful case such as this which certainly borders on the hypothetical and the moot.