United States v Airbnb (N.D. Cal.)

On September 18, 2025, the court denied Defendant Airbnb’s motion to dismiss in United States v. Airbnb et al. (N.D. Cal.). The court rejected Defendant’s argument that venue was improper in N.D. Cal. because Airbnb is headquartered in N.D. Cal. and no evidence suggests that Airbnb’s policy and operational decisions are made elsewhere. The court also denied Defendant’s request to transfer venue because a significant portion of the evidence is in N.D. Cal. and the property owner lives in N.D. Cal. On June 6, 2025, the United States entered into a settlement agreement in United States v. Airbnb, Inc., et al. (N.D. Cal.) with Sandlot05 LLC and Jarrod Blake. The complaint, which was filed on January 10, 2025, alleges that Airbnb and property owners Sandlot05 LLC and Jarrod Blake discriminated on the basis of familial status in violation of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) when they refused to rent complainants an apartment because they have children.  Under the settlement, Sandlot05 LLC and Jarrod Blake will implement a written nondiscrimination policy and a formal complaint procedure that requires them to comply with the FHA, include a statement that they are equal housing opportunity providers in any new advertising for their units, require virtual live training on the FHA, the settlement agreement, and their nondiscrimination policy and complaint procedure, report regularly to the United States, and pay compensatory damages of $15,000 to the complainants who were harmed by the refusal to rent to them on the basis of their familial status. The case was referred to the Division after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) received a complaint, conducted an investigation, and issued a charge of discrimination.  This settlement did not resolve the United States’ claims against Airbnb, Inc.