Bill No. 47-23 South Bend Human Rights "Homeless" the Protected Classes Ordinance

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with said policy in places of public accommodations; and it may require proof of compliance to be filed by the respondent at periodic intervals. (A) Except in housing cases which are separately treated in sub-part(C) of this section, the Commission may impose a penalty upon any respondent of one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500.00) for the first and second violation of this article within a five-year period and may further impose a penalty of two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500.00) for three (3) or more violations of this article within a five-year period. (B) When applied to discrimination in employment, the Commission shall also have power, to the extent consistent with state law, to restore charging party's losses by awarding damages including wages, salary, commissions, fringe benefits in an amount not to exceed that lost over a two-year period. For discrimination in employment and housing, the Commission shall also have the power, to the extent consistent with state law,to award damages which will compensate charging party for future pecuniary loss, emotional pain, suffering, inconvenience, anguish, loss of enjoyment of life and other non- pecuniary losses, costs and attorney fees. (C) To vindicate the public interest in cases of housing discrimination, the Commission may assess a civil penalty of two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500.00) for each commission of a discriminatory housing practice. (D) The Commission may sue to recover a civil penalty due under this section. (2) Judicial review of any decision of the Commission as referred to in this article may be obtained under IC 4-21.5-1 in the same manner as if the decision was that of a State agency. However, only in those cases involving discriminatory housing practices as prohibited by this Chapter, a complainant, a respondent, or an aggrieved person on whose behalf the complaint was filed may elect to have decided in a civil action those claims asserted in a finding of probable cause. Such election must be made not later than twenty(20) days after the date of receipt by the electing person of service under this chapter, and such person shall give written notice to the Commission and all other complainants and respondents to whom the finding of probable cause relates. Such civil action shall be filed in the circuit or superior court of St. Joseph County or any other court of proper jurisdiction, and if the court finds that a discriminatory housing practice has occurred or is about to occur, the court may grant any relief appropriate in a civil action under this Article or IC 22-9.5-8.1-2 or as authorized by the Civil Rights Act of 1991, or the federal Fair Housing Act. (3) In those cases involving discriminatory housing practices as prohibited by this Act where final adjudicative Commission action is in favor of the charging party, the charging party shall be permitted to have damages determined in the circuit of superior court of St. Joseph County or any other court of proper jurisdiction having the power to award punitive damages as allowed by the Fair Housing Act. Charging parties shall make such a request to the Commission in writing within five(5) days from the notice of final Commission action, which notice shall advise charging party of this right to damage determination, and the Commission