Judge: fair housing ‘testers’ can sue for discrimination

May 25, 2004 – A judge has ruled that "testers" can sue over discriminatory housing practices violations, even if they had no intention of renting or buying the properties they investigate. The Los Angeles Disabled Rights Action Committee, a nonprofit group organized to audit compliance with the Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA) of 1988, sued a developer for discriminating against disabled buyers. Testers sent by the Action Committee had found numerous violations on the developer’s properties, such as inaccessible doorways, pathways and thermostats.