Couple files suit for discrimination against Realtor in Livingston County

LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Mich. – When Julie and Verdell Franklin saw their dream country house for sale on Lake Zukey in Livingston County, the couple knew they needed to act fast.

But it quickly turned into a nightmare and the two took their claims to the 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 looked like a different person when we entered 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 realtor was acting seemed right.

The suit says they were ignored, asked no basic questions, and eventually said that nothing would be accepted less than the listing price.

The Franklins made their bid for $ 300,000 and waited. A few weeks later, they saw that the cottage had been sold for the same price with a mortgage for a white man.

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

The Franklins sent complaints of discrimination to the Livingston County Realtors Association and the Fair Housing Authority, which said they should file a lawsuit.

“We have been married for over 30 years and have been through some things as an interracial couple, but never anything like that,” she said.

The Franklins say that this will not stop them from trying to get another place on the lake, but they expect some responsibility.

“We would hate for this to happen to anyone else and that is the main point of this,” she said.

The realtor in the lawsuit could not be reached for comment.

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