Supreme Court Orders New Look at Bias Lawsuits Against Banks
- Cities can sue under Fair Housing Act, U.S. Supreme Court says
- Divided court stops short of clearing Miami to sue lenders
The U.S. Supreme Court stands in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, June 27, 2016. A divided U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Texas law that had threatened to close three-quarters of the states abortion clinics by putting new requirements on facilities and doctors.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/BloombergThe U.S. Supreme Court issued a mixed decision on the reach of the main federal housing-discrimination law, telling a lower court to reconsider whether Miami can sue banks for lending practices the city said contributed to urban blight.
The ruling is a partial victory for Bank of America Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co., which appealed a lower court ruling that said Miami could pursue the suits under the Fair Housing Act. The majority opinion by Justice Stephen Breyer said it wasn’t clear whether the city had shown the type of direct injury required for the suit to go forward.