February 05, 2007
The New York Times (subscription required) reported in a February 4, 2007 article that Westchester County has been sued under the federal False Claims Act for failing to provide fair and affordable housing.
The lawsuit, filed as a qui tam action by the Anti-Discrimination Center of Metro New York, claims that the county should return $45 million in federal community development grants. The plaintiffs contend that Westchester County should have required communities to desegregate or denied them a portion of the community development grants. They also charge that the county made a false claim when it certified that the communities had met the demands of the Fair Housing Act, which requires that they affirmatively further fair housing.