Harris v. Itzhaki

Anna Harris (plaintiff), an African-American tenant, overheard the building supervisor say the Itzhakis (defendants), her landlords, preferred not to rent to African-Americans, and reported this to a fair housing council, which sent testers of different races to the building; the Caucasian tester was welcomed and encouraged to rent, while the African-American tester was discouraged with warnings about danger, small units, and extra charges never mentioned to the Caucasian tester. Shortly after Harris's complaint, she was told she was two months behind on rent, despite insisting she had paid and never having received any prior warning about missing payments before her discrimination complaint. Harris sued the Itzhakis for violating the Fair Housing Act, the district court dismissed her claims, and she appealed to the Ninth Circuit.