For the first time, a federal court has ruled that the Federal Fair Housing Act extends protections to victims of domestic violence. The ruling was issued on March 10 in the case of Bouley v. Young-Sabourin by the U.S. District Court of Vermont.

Quinn Bouley, the plaintiff in the case, lived with her husband and children in an apartment building. When she was attacked by her husband in 2003, she called the police and fled the apartment. Her husband was arrested and never returned to their home. Immediately after the incident, Bouley’s landlord sent her a letter of eviction. Bouley sued under the Federal Fair Housing Act, claiming that the reason she was evicted was because her reaction to being assaulted did not concur with the landlord’s gender stereotypes about how a female victim should act. The reason given for the eviction was the landlord’s belief that the "violence that has been happening in [Ms. Bouley’s] unit would continue." The court agreed that Bouley had a valid claim of sex discrimination, paving the way for a trial. The case was then settled shortly thereafter.

In its ruling, the Vermont District Court indicated that Fair Housing Act protections extend to victims of domestic violence, stating that "the timing of the eviction, as well as reasonable inferences which a jury could draw from some of the statements in the eviction letter, could lead a reasonable jury to conclude that the real reason for the defendant’s actions was unlawful discrimination."

Legal documents related to the case can be downloaded from the American Civil Liberties Union website by clicking here.