Lynne Bloch v. Edward Frischholtz

**Jewish Condo Owners Win Religious Discrimination Case** Lynne Bloch and her husband, who are Jewish, owned a condominium at Shoreline Towers. They repeatedly placed mezuzot—small religious items that Jewish people traditionally attach to their doorframes—outside their unit. The condominium association, managed by Edward Frischholtz, kept removing these religious items from their door, creating what the couple argued was religious harassment and a hostile living environment. The couple sued under the Fair Housing Act, claiming religious discrimination. A lower court initially dismissed their case, but the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision in the couple's favor. The appeals court ruled that the Fair Housing Act does protect condo owners from religious discrimination that happens after they've already purchased their home, not just during the buying process. The court also found that the Blochs had presented enough evidence of repeated religious harassment to move forward with their lawsuit. This case matters because it shows that religious discrimination protections extend beyond the workplace into housing situations. It demonstrates that property owners and managers cannot repeatedly interfere with residents' religious practices, even in shared living spaces like condominiums.