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Fact check: How many lawsuits have been filed against Trump for alleged housing discrimination?

Checked on August 14, 2025

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available analyses, at least two major lawsuits have been filed against Trump for alleged housing discrimination:

  • The 1973 federal lawsuit: Filed against Donald Trump and his company for alleged racial discrimination at Trump housing developments in New York, which was settled two years later without admission of guilt [1] [2].
  • The 1982 class-action lawsuit: A class-action discrimination lawsuit filed against Trump Management and eight other New York City landlords, which was settled two years later in 1984 [2].

The sources indicate that litigation sparked by discrimination allegations stretched into the mid-1980s [2], suggesting there may have been additional legal proceedings beyond these two primary cases.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks several important contextual elements:

  • Settlement details: While Trump settled the 1973 case "without admission of guilt," fact-checkers have noted that Trump's claim that the lawsuit was brought against "many real estate firms" is false - it was specifically targeted at his company [3].
  • Broader pattern of litigation: The sources reveal that discrimination-related litigation against Trump properties continued well beyond the initial 1973 case, extending into the mid-1980s [2].
  • Administrative actions: The Trump Administration later took steps that civil rights organizations viewed as undermining housing discrimination enforcement, including plans to shut down seven major investigations and cases concerning alleged housing discrimination [4] and the cancellation of Fair Housing Initiatives Program grants [5].
  • Contemporary legal challenges: More recent lawsuits have been filed against the Trump Administration by civil rights organizations over executive orders related to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies [6].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question appears neutral and factual in nature, seeking a specific count of lawsuits. However, it may inadvertently create bias by:

  • Limiting scope: By focusing only on "lawsuits filed against Trump," it may exclude broader patterns of discrimination enforcement actions or administrative proceedings that don't fit the traditional lawsuit framework.
  • Temporal ambiguity: The question doesn't specify a timeframe, which could lead to confusion between historical discrimination cases from the 1970s-1980s and more recent legal actions involving Trump's presidential administration's housing policies.

The question itself doesn't contain obvious misinformation, but the complete answer requires acknowledging that the exact number may be difficult to determine due to the extended nature of litigation and the possibility of additional unreported cases or settlements.

Want to dive deeper?
What are the key allegations in the Trump housing discrimination lawsuits?
How many lawsuits has Donald Trump faced regarding the Fair Housing Act?
What role did the Department of Justice play in Trump's housing discrimination cases?
Which Trump properties were involved in the alleged housing discrimination?
How have Trump's lawyers responded to the allegations of housing discrimination?