A lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas challenges a whites-only community development in Lawrence County.
According to the lawsuit, Return to the Land violated federal fair housing laws by refusing to sell property to Michelle Walker, a St. Louis-area real estate broker.
The lawsuit states Walker, who is of Jewish ancestry and married to a Black man, applied to purchase land in the community near Ravenden after seeing property advertised online.
Court filings allege the organization only sells land to white people of European ancestry and excludes Jewish individuals through its membership and application process.
According to the complaint, Walker answered questions about ancestry and religion on the application and was later informed she should not expect approval.
The lawsuit claims the actions violated the Fair Housing Act along with federal civil rights laws and the Arkansas Civil Rights Act of 1993.
The suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages and asks the court to order RTTL to stop enforcing its policies.
RTTL has previously argued its land sales are protected because the organization operates as a private club.
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