Kitch Drutchas Wagner Valitutti & Sherbrook

Fair Housing and State Actions

Federal and state housing discrimination laws place rigorous requirements upon apartment owners, commercial and residential landowners, property management companies, realtors, brokers, manufactured home communities and sales offices. We routinely advise clients with respect to fair housing civil right matters--including rental and selling policies, practices, advertisements, reasonable accommodations and design and construction requirements.
We also defend clients who have had claims brought against them alleging violation of the Fair Housing Act and Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. Typically, these claims include allegations of discriminatory rental conduct, availability of dwellings, block busting, redlining and other discriminatory real estate related transactions.

42 USC Section 1983 Actions

Municipalities and organizations working under the cloak of governmental authority commonly face claims of Title 42 USC Section 1983 civil rights violations. Such claims often arise out of government operations, employment, and housing and include assertions of excessive use of force, invasion of privacy, police chases, false imprisonment, and custodial claims of prisoners. The Kitch firm aggressively defends these claims. Depending on the case, we have found that an intense motion practice can be successful in whittling away the claims that are weak, poorly grounded or subject to immunity. This, in turn, often results in what started out as a difficult case becoming one that can be dismissed or resolved at the nuisance payment level.

The Kitch firm was co-founded in Detroit in 1969 by Richard A. Kitch and Richard F. Suhrheinrich, now a Senior Federal Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge.

Historically, the Firm has attracted a diverse pool of attorneys and staff, seeking only the most talented individuals to serve our clients.

The Kitch firm was recognized in 2006 by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as the Detroit area law firm with the highest percentage of women attorneys (41%) and the highest percentage of female partners (27%).

The Kitch firm recognizes and celebrates the concept of diversity and  equal opportunity in the workplace.