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The Mother of All Frivolous Discrimination Lawsuits
 The Fair Housing Council Corporation of OC: 
201 South Broadway, Santa Ana, California 92701-5633  
phone:   714/569-0823  800/698-FAIR, fax:714/835-0281
 info@fairhousingoc.org

 

The FHCOC is a private, non-profit organization which receives annual funds through the US Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) and charitable donations and whose self-proclaimed mission it is to “Combat Housing Discrimination”.  
The FHCOC also contracts with local city government's to provide mediation services.  

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There's serious trouble at the Council

Board Meeting Minutes January 23, 2008. (it takes awhile to load)
 Quick excerpts:
 Fraud Against HUD / (2nd citing); Charges of Blackmail;  Conflict of Interest Allegations; Cash Flow Problems;
Screaming & Yelling; Threats of Lawsuits; Profane Language; A Heavily Medicated CEO
...the "dirty laundry" [sic] gets aired in this Board of Directors meeting.
 (2nd citations are excerpts taken from Pierson's entire memo to the BOD)

(Board meetings held every 4th Wednesday of the month at 6pm - open to the public)

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FHCOC's  Former Director/Trainer, Joel Ibanez & Former CEO, D. Elizabeth Pierson, ESQ

 

Ibanez and Pierson were the ones who filed the $4,000 discrimination complaint against me with the State DFEH


 Ibanez resigned from the Council after the lawsuit broke out and has completely disappeared. The Board Of Directors and their Attorney, Deborah Reisdorph, esq., claim that they have 'no idea of his whereabouts'.   Ibanez was quoted in the LA Times as stating that the reason they filed the complaint was they felt that the 8 word phrase I used in my Craigslist posting (quote) "sort of implied" [a preference] "and it leaned in that direction".

More on Ibanez

 

Pierson was sued and subsequently fired by the Board of Directors after failing to return documents to the agency while being investigated for misuse of public funds and fraud. The Board of Directors started the investigation after receiving several internal and anonymous grievance letters from staff members alleging abuse, fraud and conflict of interest.
More on Pierson

 

Pierson is currently suing these FHCOC Board Members For
Racial Discrimination, Racial Retaliation & Racial Harassment Discrimination:

  1. Wayne Ward, Chairman

  2. Christine McGuire

  3. Gregory C. Brown

  4. Earl Dearing

  5. Jeffrey Bird

  6. Emma Hightower, Secretary

  7. Aidee Lopez

  8. Waymond Rogers

D. Elizabeth Pierson, esq.  v  Fair Housing Corporation  (case no. 30-2008-00103342)

These are OC Register Articles chronicling this unfolding story:

  1. Mar-04-08    Lawsuit: County housing group chief refuses to step aside

  2. Mar-12-08    Fair Housing CEO must hand over keys to nonprofit’s office

  3. April-04-08   Commissioner Reigns in Fair Housing Director

  4. April-27-08   Allegations Trouble Non Profit

  5. May-02-08    Fair Housing Board Alleges Director Harassed Employees

  6. May-05-08    Fair Housing Director Sues Board

  7. June-12-08   Fair Housing Director Placed on Unpaid Leave

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MORE ON THE  FHCOC

Apparently, the FHCOC routinely operates on a covert basis. Typically the FHCOC contracts out with undercover ‘testers’ who use deception tactics in their effort to entrap landlords who may have a practice of housing discrimination (see OC Register Article 1-14-05) . There were no ‘testers’ sent out to my home. The FHCOC’s formal complaint was filed by Director, Joel Ibanez with the State DFEH based solely upon its interpretation of my advertisement.

OC Register Article about the FHCOC  1-14-05  

Ibanez Notable Quote
"We're not trying to entrap anyone"

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D. Elizabeth Pierson, Esq.,

(Former) President/CEO & Chief Counsel,  Fair Housing Council Corporation of Orange County

Ms. Pierson is the person who was responsible for the initial Complaint filed with the State of California, DFEH. Ms. Pierson claims to bill her time at $350/Hour and an expert in Discrimination Law. Ms. Pierson earned her AA Degree from Tallahassee Community College and graduated from Western State University, Fullerton, CA, a non- accredited law school at time of her graduation. She was admitted to State Bar 1993.

Pierson is currently being sued by the board of directors for allegations of mismanagement, conflict of interest, misuse of public funds and intentionally interfering with an internal investigation.

Cease & Desist Letter from D. Elizabeth Pierson To Board of Directors February 26, 2008:

Apparently Ms. Pierson decided not to recognize the 8 board of directors who demanded an internal investigation.
She now refers to them as only "Advisory Members".

 
 Notable Quotes:

Excerpts from Ms. Pierson, Esq. in her demand letter to me dated, 7-2-07:
Elizabeth-Pierson Demand Letter  

“…I did not demand $3,999.99, the counter (offer) was $3,996.00.” 

“Renting any property is a business, no matter how many units you have. Education is the most valuable portion of the settlement agreement because it is preventative, not punitive.”

“I do not intend to debate or discuss whether or not you have refused to rent to children in the past.”

“It is not our intent to cause you great financial harm.”

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FHCOC Investigated by HUD for Fraud:

In a FHCOC agency memo dated, February 8, 2008, that was filed with the Court, Ms. Pierson writes to her Board Of Directors regarding a Fraudulent Reporting practice the FHCOC had been regularly committing on HUD:

"I cautioned at the last Meeting January 30th that public documents such as Minutes should be carefully reviewed and the information limited to action taken. Now an agenda is out for public view that airs the dirty laundry. This is a direct threat to the stability of the agency, its standing in the community and our success in current litigation" 
D. Elizabeth Pierson, Esq.


D. Elizabeth Pierson, Esq. CEO/President & Chief Counsel.

(AA Degree Tallahassee Community College. JD, Western State University, Fullerton, CA. 1993 (unaccredited)

Notable Quotes:
"What we do is not always popular"

"I'll have you know that I am a $350 dollar an hour attorney."

    


Ibanez talks to the LA Times

Mr. Dana Parsons at the Los Angeles Times. spoke with Mr. Ibanez while conducting an investigative interview with the FHCOC and wrote a column on the story in June of 2006 (LA Times column dana-parsons-6-21-07 )  In that story, Ibanez, the Director and Trainer at the FHCOC, responded to the reporters query as to what exactly it was about my phrase that was discriminatory?  

Mr. Ibanez replied, that my ad had (quote):

[The phrase] “sort of implied a preference toward adults” and “it leaned in that direction”. Joel Ibanez, Director

Ibanez told the reporter that was the justification for the Fair Housing Council Corporation filing the formal discrimination complaint with the State of California Department of Fair Employment & Housing and demanding a settlement of $4,000 plus 5 years of continuing education.

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