COACH's Pop Quiz!

Q: You just hired a new employee, who’s been criticizing the way you run the community. Her coworkers say she’s not a “team player” and have overheard her telling residents to contact HUD regarding possible discrimination complaints. Since she’s been nothing but trouble since she started working there, you can terminate her employment without worrying about possible liability under fair housing law. True or false?

A: False. The employee could accuse you of violating fair housing law if you fire her because she told residents to contact HUD about potential fair housing problems. Federal fair housing law bans retaliation against employees because they helped or encouraged anyone in the exercise of their fair housing rights.

To learn more about fair housing rules banning retaliation, see “How to Defend Your Community from Retaliation Claims,” available to subscribers here.