Wilson v. RentGrow

This court case is active

In September 2013, the King County Superior Court preliminarily approved a settlement in a class action lawsuit seeking fair treatment for people with old criminal convictions trying to obtain rental housing.  The ACLU-WA and co-counsel Terrell Marshall Daudt and Willie PLLC filed the case, alleging that a tenant screening company willfully violated the Washington Fair Credit Reporting Act (WFCRA) and Consumer Protection Acts.  These laws prohibit tenant screeners from reporting criminal history information when more than seven years has passed since the date of arrest, conviction, release from incarceration, or parole.  The named plaintiff, Markeletta Wilson, was rejected from rental housing after the screening company reported 1988 and 1995 drug convictions.  Under the settlement, the defendants agreed to modify its process to prevent reporting criminal history information in violation of the WFCRA,  to pay $109,200 in a settlement fund benefitting class members, and to pay reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.  Final approval of the settlement is expected in December, 2013. 

You may contact the settlement administrator at (206) 518-6228 to determine if you are a member of the class, how to comment on the settlement, and how class members may exclude themselves from the class rather than participate in the settlement.

For more information about how the ACLU-WA is seeking fair opportunities for people with criminal history, visit our Second Chances Project at www.aclu-wa.org/secondchances 

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