False Claims Act Settlement Reached For Alleged L.A. Housing Discrimination

Late last week, a partial settlement was reached in an ongoing qui tam False Claims Act case alleging fraudulent use of federal grants to build affordable housing in Los Angeles.  The specific allegations are that the City of Los Angeles and CRA/LA (an agency of the City) falsely certified their compliance with housing discrimination laws when using federal grants to develop affordable housing.  However, according to the allegations in the complaint, the affordable housing developed using the federal grants failed to adhere to accessibility laws, and thus discriminated against potential tenants with disabilities.