U.S. Department
of Justice
Civil Rights Matters
29 de septiembre de 2023 - El Departamento de Justicia ha anunciado hoy un acuerdo para resolver una denuncia federal por acoso sexual en un edificio de apartamentos de Koreatown, donde un administrador de la propiedad fue acusado de violar la Ley de Vivienda Justa por acosar sexualmente a múltiples residentes femeninas durante varios años.
June 29, 2023 - Following a lengthy investigation that determined the County of Los Angeles discriminated against persons with disabilities at vote centers during recent elections, the United States Attorney’s Office today filed a lawsuit alleging the county has failed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).
May 12, 2023 - The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against the property manager of an apartment building in Koreatown and the owner of the rental property alleging the sexual harassment of female residents in violation of the Fair Housing Act.
May 10, 2023 - The Justice Department has filed a statement of interest in a federal lawsuit explaining that the act of distributing food and drinks to people who are homeless by Micah’s Way, a faith-based organization in Santa Ana that helps people in need, could be religious exercise under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000.
April 21, 2023 - Following an investigation that found Los Angeles Union Station was not accessible to persons with disabilities, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) today entered into a settlement agreement that requires the transit agency to remedy violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
January 12, 2023 - The Justice Department announced today an agreement to resolve allegations that City National Bank engaged in a pattern or practice of lending discrimination by “redlining” in Los Angeles County. This resolution will include over $31 million in relief to impacted individuals and communities.
December 20, 2022 - The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement agreement with the Colton Joint Unified School District to resolve an investigation into the district’s program for students learning English.
December 16, 2022 - The Justice Department announced today it has secured a settlement agreement with the San Bernardino City Unified School District to resolve the department’s investigation into the district’s educational program for English learners.
December 14, 2022 - The Justice Department announced today it has secured a landmark agreement to resolve a race and national origin discrimination lawsuit against the City of Hesperia and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department that alleged the defendants engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against Black and Latino individuals and communities in Hesperia through the adoption and enforcement of a so-called “crime-free” rental housing program.
Westlake Financial to Pay More Than $225,000 to Resolve Servicemembers Civil Relief Act Claims
September 28, 2022 - The Justice Department today announced that Westlake Financial has agreed to pay more than $225,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by failing to provide qualified servicemembers with interest rate benefits for the entire period required under the SCRA and by improperly delaying approval of interest rate benefit requests.
September 29, 2021 - The Department of Justice announced today that American Honda Finance Corporation (AHFC) has agreed to settle a federal lawsuit alleging that it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by failing to refund a type of up-front lease payment to servicemembers who lawfully terminated their motor vehicle leases early. Under the settlement agreement, AHFC must pay up to $1,585,803 in compensation to 714 servicemembers who were harmed by the alleged violations.
September 21, 2021 - The City of Monrovia has entered into a settlement agreement with the United States to ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal access to its transportation services program, the Department of Justice announced today.
August 31, 2021 - The San Luis Obispo County Jail violates the rights of prisoners by, among other things, failing to provide adequate medical care and subjecting some prisoners to excessive uses of force, according to a Justice Department report that also found violations of the ADA.
August 6, 2021 - The Justice Department announced today that it has reached an agreement to resolve a lawsuit alleging that Filomeno Hernandez, a property manager of residential apartment buildings near MacArthur Park in Los Angeles, violated the federal Fair Housing Act by sexually harassing female tenants since at least 2006.
July 2, 2021 - Southern California Permanente Medical Group and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals have agreed to resolve allegations that they violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to provide at one of their facilities a qualified sign language interpreter or other appropriate form of auxiliary aid or service to a deaf patient.
June 24, 2021 - The Justice Department today reached a settlement under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with San Luis Obispo County to ensure that inmates with mobility disabilities have an equal opportunity to participate in San Luis Obispo Jail’s (SLO Jail) programs, services and activities.
April 20, 2021 - The United States Attorney’s Office, along with the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office and the Anti-Defamation League, will host a virtual discussion on Thursday, April 22, to explain how the federal government investigates and works to combat hate crimes and discrimination, including against the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community.
March 29, 2021 - The United States Attorney’s Office announced today that it has signed agreements with 27 hotels across Southern California to resolve investigations pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
March 23, 2021 - With a call to the public to report hate crimes to law enforcement authorities, Acting United States Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison and FBI Assistant Director in Charge Kristi K. Johnson today condemned bigotry, racism and hatred against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
August 28, 2020 - Providence Health System – Southern California, which operates Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, has entered into a settlement with the United States, agreeing to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by ensuring effective communication for patients who are deaf or hard of hearing.
June 22, 2020 - Lyft, Inc., has agreed to resolve allegations it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when some of its drivers refused to give rides to people with disabilities who used foldable wheelchairs or walkers, the Department of Justice announced today.
June 3, 2020 - Riverside Medical Clinic, a company that operates seven medical offices in Riverside County, has agreed to resolve allegations that it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to provide effective communication to deaf and hard-of-hearing patients.
May 20, 2020 - Angeles Institute, a for-profit nursing school based in Artesia, has agreed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by allowing individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to enroll.
Federal Law Enforcement Leaders Address Discrimination During the Coronavirus Pandemic
May 19, 2020 - During the coronavirus pandemic, the Justice Department is committed to ensuring that all citizens are free from harassment or discrimination because of their ethnicity.
May 18, 2020 - United States Attorney Nick Hanna is asking anyone who has witnessed or experienced sexual harassment by a landlord, property manager, maintenance worker, or anyone with control over housing to report that conduct to the Department of Justice.
March 12, 2020 - The City of San Clemente has entered into a settlement agreement with the United States to ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal access to its transportation program.
March 2, 2020 - The University of Southern California has agreed to resolve allegations that it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at its USC Hotel adjacent to its campus by failing to provide a wheelchair-accessible room to a customer who needed one.
February 24, 2020 - Southern California Permanente Medical Group and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals have agreed to resolve allegations that they violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to provide a qualified sign language interpreter or other appropriate form of assistance to a deaf patient. Separately, a Riverside County doctor has agreed to settle similar claims involving a deaf patient.
February 19, 2020 - The U.S. Attorney’s Office will deploy personnel to monitor Los Angeles County vote centers for their compliance with federal accessibility law for people with physical disabilities during the February 22-to-March 3 election period.
December 2, 2019 - The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit alleging that the City of Hesperia and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department discriminated against African American and Latino renters in violation of the Fair Housing Act.
July 9, 2019 - C.J. Spa Group, Inc., a company that operates Spa Palace in the Westlake neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, has entered into a settlement agreement with the Department of Justice to ensure that individuals with disabilities can access the spa’s facilities.
June 28, 2019 - The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation has entered into a settlement agreement with the United States in which it agrees to remove architectural barriers to access at the Betty Ford Center, a well-known drug and alcohol treatment facility it owns and operates in Rancho Mirage.
March 6, 2019 - The Justice Department today announced that California Auto Finance, a subprime auto lending company based in the City of Orange, has agreed to enter into a court-enforceable consent order to resolve allegations that it illegally repossessed two servicemembers’ cars without court orders while they were on active duty.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES NATIONWIDE INITIATIVE TO COMBAT SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN HOUSING
April 12, 2018 - Today, as the Department of Justice recognizes the 50th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the nationwide rollout of an initiative aimed at increasing awareness and reporting of sexual harassment in housing.
March 28, 2018 - The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit in the Central District of California against California Auto Finance, alleging that it violated the Servicemembers' Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by repossessing protected servicemembers’ motor vehicles without obtaining the necessary court orders.
February 20, 2018 - The Justice Department today reached a settlement with Atlantis Events, Inc., a cruise and resort vacation company with offices in West Hollywood, to ensure that individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing are provided effective communication when travelling with the company.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Hosts Roundtable Discussion on Sexual Harassment in Housing
February 14, 2018 - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California hosted a roundtable discussion yesterday on Sexual Harassment in Housing for community organizations, U.S. Attorney Nicola T. Hanna announced.
September 29, 2017 - A Garden Grove preschool has entered into a voluntary civil settlement agreement with the United States to resolve allegations that it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to agree to provide EpiPen injections when required and requested at its facility.
September 27, 2017 - The Justice Department announced today that two Los Angeles-based consumer finance companies have agreed to pay a total of $760,788 to resolve allegations that the companies violated the Servicemembers' Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by repossessing 70 vehicles owned by SCRA-protected servicemembers without first obtaining the required court orders.
September 29, 2016 - The Justice Department announced today that Wells Fargo Bank N.A., doing business as Wells Fargo Dealer Services, has agreed to change its policies and pay over $4.1 million to resolve allegations that it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by repossessing 413 cars owned by protected servicemembers without obtaining a court order.
September 20, 2016 - The Justice Department today announced an agreement with the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles (LASC) to ensure that limited English proficient (LEP) court users will have access to timely and accurate language assistance services.
June 23, 2016 - United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker today announced the formation of a new Civil Rights Section within the Civil Division of the United States Attorney’s Office. This Section will focus exclusively on affirmative enforcement of federal civil rights laws, including federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, disability, religion, familial status and national origin.
February 2, 2016 - The Department of Justice and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced today a settlement to resolve allegations that Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (Toyota) engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against African-American and Asian/Pacific Islander borrowers in auto lending. Toyota, based in Torrance, California, is the nation’s largest captive auto lender, and the fifth largest auto lender overall.
August 26, 2015 - Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) in Colton has entered into an agreement with the United States to resolve allegations that the hospital violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to provide qualified interpreters and other services to persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. Under the voluntary compliance agreement, ARMC will provide equipment and services to ensure that people who are deaf or hard of hearing have equal access to medical services, which includes giving them the ability to effectively communicate with hospital staff.
August 5, 2015 - The Justice Department has reached a comprehensive settlement agreement with the County of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Sheriff to protect prisoners from serious suicide risks and excessive force in the Los Angeles County jails, United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mark J. Kappelhoff announced today.
June 6, 2014 - The Justice Department today released its latest assessment of mental health services at the Los Angeles County jails, which concludes that, despite progress in some areas, the County of Los Angeles fails to provide sufficient suicide-prevention practices to protect prisoners from self-harm. The department also found that other serious deficiencies in the mental health care delivery system remain and combine with inadequate supervision and deplorable environmental conditions to deprive prisoners of constitutionally-required mental health care.