Couple files discrimination lawsuit against a Livingston County real estate agent

LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Mich. When Julie and Verdell Franklin saw their dream home put up for sale on Zukey Lake in Livingston County, the couple knew they needed to act quickly.

But it quickly turned into a nightmare, and the two submitted their claims to federal court. The two claim they were discriminated against for being an interracial couple.

“She wanted to know what time we wanted to meet and explained everything to me and when we got there she was like a different person when we came in and she saw us,” said Julie Franklin.

In the lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Michigan, the Franklins claim that almost nothing about how the broker was trading felt right.

The lawsuit alleges they were ignored, asked no basic questions, and eventually told that nothing less than the offer price would be accepted.

The Franklin made their offer for that price of $ 300,000 and waited. A few weeks later they saw that the house had been sold for the same price with a mortgage to a white man.

I got into the car. I just went home and cried all night. I just couldn’t believe it and then we have to tell the kids, ”said Julie Franklin.

The Franklin sent complaints of discrimination to both the Livingston County Realtors Association and the Fair Housing Authority, who said they should investigate a lawsuit.

“We’ve been married for over 30 years and we’ve been through a lot as an interracial couple, but never anything like it,” she said.

The Franklins say this won’t stop them from trying to get another spot on the lake, but they hope for some accountability.

“We’d hate if this happened to anyone else, and that’s the whole point,” she said.

The broker in the suit could not be reached for comment.

READ MORE: HEADLINES FROM LIVINGSTON COUNTY