The couple might be 'ugly' for the way they think but I'm not sure if the suit will stand up in court. There was no contract signed and so up to that point, a conversation held with the owners is private - so I'm not sure legally where it will stand:
Under the Fair Housing Act, it is a crime to even make a discriminatory statement with regard to renting or selling housing in the U.S., dear SammiesWife (peace to you!).
The Willborns filed a complaint with HUD on Jan. 29. After receiving the complaint Feb. 1, HUD said, the Sabbias offered to sell the home and all its furniture to the Willborns for about $1.8 million.
So, a house that was initially listed for "about $1.8 million"... was given an offer of $1.5 million... after which the SELLERS counteroffered with $1.7 million... which counteroffer was ACCEPTED for $1.7 million... but then the sellers abruptly take the house off the market... until they receive notice of a COMPLAINT filed against them... after which they now want $1.8 million. So, to add insult to injury... "We WILL sell you our house, but it's gonna cost YOU more..."
HUD formalized its complaint after settlement discussions between the parties faltered.
Now, WHY in the WORLD would there even need to BE "settlement discussions"... if no one did anything WRONG???
According to the HUD complaint, Lowe said under oath that while he was representing the Sabbias, Daniel Sabbia told Lowe "he would prefer not to sell the home to an African-American, though he qualified the testimony, saying 'but if it was for the right price he did not care who bought the house.' "
Well, we now know neither the plaintiffs... or THEIR agent... was making it up...
According to HUD, Daniel Sabbia's sister and brother-in-law live next door to the home and other family members live in the neighborhood.
Ahhhh... perhaps "someone"... "helped" the sellers to change their minds?
Cornelious, of Re/Max 2000 in Crete, Ill., said she encouraged the couple to file a complaint with the federal housing agency. "It was absolutely racist," she said Tuesday. "Most buyers don't know what their rights are when it comes to things like this. You don't know what the law says as a buyer. I told them go ahead and file, because it stinks to me."
Now THAT'S a GOOD as well as "reputable" realtor... and a lawful one. The TRUTH is that Lowe... and HIS company should have told them to file, if not filed themselves. The fact that they DIDN'T... is why THEY'RE also named in the suit. I know this... because this is what I DO.
Now I am accused of not being totally truthful as to [my] motive. WTF?????????
No accusation, dear OTWO. I was being entirely serious... and entirely truthful. And although you might not like to HEAR that, if you took a moment to think about it, you would know that...
I really was done here, but no.... You did it, you dragged me back with that statement out of left field.
Oh, ummmm... sorry?
I could go many places with that. I could say that you KNOW what the sellers were thinking and saying just as you KNOW what I am thinking and saying now.
But you won't, will you, because you... and most here... already know the truthful answer to both...
I could say that the Holy Spirit whispered something in your ear like: Those sellers are racists and OTWO is lying.
Actually, it really didn't take all that. Some things really are obvious just on their face. But I am not even saying the sellers themselves were racist. One does not have to BE a racist to engage in racist conduct. For example, they may not have had a problem at all, but the sister/BIL did. The latter, then, would be the racists here, literally; however, the sellers showed themselves to be... by proxy. And their conduct absolutely was racist...
I won't do it though. I won't assume anything out of that accusation that I am lying.
Well, at least that's honest...
I will simply go back to my last statement on page one of this thread: Go ahead and flame flame flame away at me. You've made me look better than I could do myself
If you think so, but I have to honestly say that I seriously doubt it.
Look, dear OTWO... I realize that you wanted to give these folks the benefit of the doubt. But this is my line of work, and thus what I have access to regarding this matters showed me otherwise. I KNEW that HUD had already spoken with THEIR agent... because I know the PROCESS. Which is that HUD doesn't even BRING a charge until they have fully INVESTIGATED the claims. So all of that about "hearsay" and such... the seller's agent had already been deposed. For him to say something different NOW... could cost him his career... make his company liable for what his clients said... as well as make HIM monetarily liable. Do you REALLY think he's going to do that?
Here's the thing: I do have a "higher" authority that I answer to... and there is NO way I would have just put these folks out there if I didn't know the claims had already been substantiated. I mean, what in the world is that?? I did not call these folks racists. I only pointed to their case to show that racism does indeed exist in our great country today, contrary to popular belief of many, including some here (i.e., "those who know who they are"). THEIR agent said they did not want to sell to African Americans. And it blows me AWAY that a whole lot of folks are yelling "WTF"... but NOT about that. I ask you: WT... is THAT?? Heck, let someone say, "I would prefer not to sell my house to a white man..." and you won't say, "WTF"?? Seriously? Yet, you responded as if I just heard some unsubstantiated, off-the-wall, story and was chomping at the bit to be able to say, "Oh, yeah, THESE folks are SO racist."
I do this for a living, dear OTWO... and I assure you that this is just ONE case... one I recieved today. And I posted it because it shows... to those who do not "believe"... that racism is still present in this great country. And there are THOUSANDS of these cases... but you never HEAR about them because they settle BEFORE HUD files charges. The ONLY reason you heard about THIS one... was, as this above article stated, because "settlement discussions" faltered. A recent one, that did NOT settle before trial, actually involved an entire COUNTY in upper state New York (Westchester County)... where the cities are all still literally segregated. Literally... and by local LAW.
So, I DO bid you peace... and, if you among those who "don't know"... perhaps some motivation to FIND OUT.
YOUR servant and a slave of Christ,
SA
