Compromise In the Courts
In the 1970s, the League began taking cases to court. Several lawsuits ensued, challenging the conditions of contracts in both the West and South Sides.
The initial cases failed, with judges ruling that inflating home prices for black families did not violate the law.
The initial cases failed, with judges ruling that inflating home prices for black families did not violate the law.
A second set of lawsuits, far more successful than the first, reached the state Supreme Court.
In 1970, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled in Rosewood vs. Fisher that the nature of the contracts may be raised as defense in an eviction.
"The nature of the contracts - whether fraudulent or usurious or otherwise irregular - could be raised as defense in an eviction case, giving contract buyers a chance to tell their stories"
-Mary Lou Finley (via Chicago Magazine)
Another lawsuit argued the Illinois eviction law discriminated against the poor because it required a large bond in order to appeal. In 1972 the Illinois Supreme Court ruled in their favor, declaring the law invalid.