Landlord Fined $1,000 for Not Renting to Unmarried Couple

MINNEAPOLIS — A landlord in Marshall, Minn., has been ordered to pay more than $1,000 for refusing to rent a house to an unmarried couple on religious grounds.

Administrative Law Judge Peter C. Erickson fined Layle French $300 for violating a state law that forbids discrimination because of marital status. He also ordered French to pay $368 in damages to compensate Sue Parsons Jenson for the cost of finding another place to rent and to pay her an additional $400 for mental anguish.

French, a member of the Evangelical Free Church, said he would appeal the order to the Minnesota Appeals Court. He has contended that the state Human Rights Act violates his religious freedom.

The controversy began in February, 1988, when French agreed to rent a house to Parsons and her then-fiance, Wes Jenson, for $325 a month. They have since married.

Parsons paid a $250 security deposit and notified her then-current landlord that she was moving out. But French had second thoughts about the arrangement. He called Parsons two days later and said he couldn’t rent the house to the couple because of his religious beliefs.

French returned the $250 security deposit, but Parsons filed a complaint with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.