February 13, 2020
A Georgia woman evicted for inviting a black family to her house for playdates with their children will be paid $150,000 by her former landlords to settle a discrimination lawsuit.
Victoria Sutton filed the complaint in July against Patricia and Allen McCoy of Calhoun, Georgia. Sutton said the couple made racist statements and threatened to physically harm her if she contested the eviction.
“My landlord’s behavior was not just immoral, it was also illegal,” Sutton said in a statement. “I’m glad to see the McCoys are being held accountable and hope this settlement brings us one step closer to creating a more just society where people of all races can live together without fear.”
Sutton’s attorney, Brian Corman, said the McCoys acknowledged they used racial slurs before evicting Sutton and apologized to her.
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Corman said the eviction violated the Civil Rights Act and the Georgia Fair Housing Act, which prohibits landlords from discriminating against tenants and their guests on the basis of race. Both Sutton and the McCoys are white.
“It’s the kind of case that many people might think would have happened generations ago,” Corman said. “But it really shows how persistent racial intolerance has been in the country.”