The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed a jury verdict finding real estate broker Chadwick Banken liable for violating the Minnesota Human Rights Act by targeting Muslim homebuyers through a predatory contract-for-deed scheme.
A jury found that Banken unlawfully discriminated against Muslim homebuyers and violated multiple state and federal consumer protection laws. The case was brought by the Office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison after an investigation into allegations that Banken marketed homes to Muslim buyers seeking alternatives to conventional interest-based mortgages and then subjected them to significantly less favorable terms.
According to evidence presented at trial, Banken offered Muslim purchasers contracts with higher sales prices, larger down payments, and higher monthly payments than those offered to non-Muslim buyers. The jury concluded that these practices constituted unlawful religious discrimination under the Minnesota Human Rights Act.
In a statement, CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein said:
“This verdict sends a clear message that exploiting people because of their faith is unacceptable and illegal. Muslim families seeking to achieve the dream of homeownership should never be targeted for discriminatory treatment or subjected to predatory financial schemes because of their religious beliefs. We commend Attorney General Keith Ellison and his legal team for pursuing accountability and standing up for vulnerable consumers.”
He said community members who experience or witness discrimination, harassment, or bias targeting Muslims or other marginalized groups are encouraged to report incidents to CAIR at: https://www.cair.com/report/
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CONTACT: Jaylani Hussein, Executive Director, CAIR-MN — 612-406-0070 — jhussein@cair.com; Suleiman Adan, Deputy Executive Director, CAIR-MN — 612-408-7183 — sadan@cair.com