In June of 2020, two friends, Friends Amanda Mills and Angela Smith, planned a camping trip to Lazy Cove Campground in Virginia. Smith, who is white, took her husband, Damien Smith, who is Black, and their 8-year-old son to join Mills’ family for the getaway. But during a phone call with Smith, the racist owner of the campground, Regina Turner, flipped out when she found out Smith’s husband was black.
“You didn’t tell me that your friend’s husband is Black.”
“Had I known, I wouldn’t have rented the lot to them. I saw the son, but I figured everyone makes a mistake,” she said, according to the complaint filed with the Virginia Fair Housing Board.
NBC:
Turner also allegedly told another tenant on the campground that she wanted to wait until their lease ended instead of moving forward with eviction.
“I can’t make them move now because if I give both of them moving notices now, they could take my park from me. I’m smart, you know, and I’ve got to use my head.
Virginia Attorney General’s Office and the Virginia Fair Housing Board filed a civil suit against Turner on one count of refusing to rent and two counts of discrimination. A jury has awarded each family $100,000 for their losses and an additional $550,000 in punitive damages making it the largest fair housing jury verdict obtained by the Office of the Attorney General to date.
Attorney General Miyares Secures Landmark $750,000 Verdict Against Landlord for Racial Discrimination
750,000 Verdict in Fair Housing Lawsuit Tripled the Office of the Attorney General’s Previous Largest Award
FRANKLIN COUNTY, VA — Attorney General Jason Miyares today announced that his Office of Civil Rights won a historic $750,000 jury verdict against a Penhook, Virginia landlord who engaged in racial discrimination, evicting two families from her lakefront rental property after learning one of the family members was black. This landmark finding marks the largest fair housing jury verdict obtained by the Office of the Attorney General to date.
“Housing discrimination—and discrimination of any kind—will not be tolerated in Virginia,” said Attorney General Jason Miyares. “We are pleased by the jury’s verdict, and I’m immensely proud of my Civil Rights Unit. The people of Franklin County have spoken: Smith Mountain Lake is for everyone.”
The defendant, Regina Turner, owner of Lazy Cove Campground on Smith Mountain Lake, had rented lots to families for decades. A couple had their camper on one of Turner’s lots and encouraged their friends—an interracial married couple with a young son—to lease a neighboring spot. The wife, who is white, successfully negotiated a lease with Turner. However, upon learning that the husband was black, Turner immediately took steps to evict both families, openly stating that she would not have rented to them had she known.
Both families courageously testified to the harm Turner’s conduct inflicted upon them. The jury took less than two hours to deliberate, ultimately awarding $100,000 to each couple for their losses, as well as the humiliation and emotional toll they endured. The jury awarded an additional $550,000 in punitive damages to punish Turner’s egregious actions and serve as a deterrent against future discrimination. Turner is now legally required to pay this judgment to the affected families.
Senior Assistant Attorney General Todd M. Shockley prosecuted this case with support from Assistant Attorneys General Joel B. Taubman, Brittany Sadler Berky, and Senior Assistant Attorney General and Civil Rights Unit Section Chief Christine Lambrou Johnson.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Damien Smith stated:
“It was like a sigh of relief, but at the same time, I’m still angry because we never should have had to go through this. It was 2020 at the time, and somehow we’re still getting judged by the color of our skin versus the kind of person we are.”
Of course Turner’s lawyer, Rocky Mount Mayor Holland Perdue, filed a motion to set aside the jury’s verdict. Apparently, Turner’s late husband outright refused to rent to black families but her attorney claimed the campground now accepts “all kinds of people.” However, Turner did admit she called the family because she felt ‘betrayed’ that they did not disclose the fact Smith was black.
