There was clearly something amiss when Howard University School of Law professor Spencer Boyer, who is black, was denied a $50,000 home equity loan in the early 1990s after applying in-person at a local bank. Boyer’s finances were in good shape and subsequent mailed applications were approved by several other banks.
With the help of Crowell & Moring partner George Ruttinger, Boyer sued the first bank for discrimination and the case settled for a near-record amount. That was just one of many fair housing and civil rights matters Ruttinger has handled pro bono during the past two decades, from advocating for the homeless to fighting discriminatory lending practices and racial discrimination in rental housing.
