Housing Bias Suit Cites Anti Trust Act in Pittsburgh

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PRESS RELEASE Dirkesar Counyel egal efense und Jack Greenberg 

NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND, INC. es Jesse DeVore, Jr, *% 10 Columbus Circle, New York, N.Y. 10019 * JUdson 6-8397 man SA st@7 ra 
FOR RELEASE Fa 
WEDNESDAY eS 
April 5, 1967 s 

HOUSING BIAS SUIT 
CITES ANTI TRUST 
ACT IN PITTSBURGH 

LDF Attorneys Utilize New Legal Approach 

PITTSBURGH---The powerful Greater Pittsburgh Multilist, Inc,--a group 
of approximately 35 local realtors whose dollar volume exceeded eight 
million dollars last year, was charged today with violation of the 
Sherman Anti Trust Act. 

Attorneys of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. 
(LDF) asked the U.S. District Court here to permanently enjoin 
Multilist from excluding Negro real estate man Robert RK, Lavelle and 
others "similarly situated." 

Mr. Lavelle, through his LDF lawyers, maintains that the "combina- 
tion and conspiracy" of Multilist "constitutes a violation of the 
Pennsylvania common law prohibiting combinations and conspiracies in 
restraint of trade," 

The Greater Pittsburgh Multilist, Inc., until recently known as 
the Greater East End Multilist, is a membership corporation organized 
under Pennsylvania state laws. 

LDF attorneys told the Court that "Multilist consolidates and 
distributes to its members all the real property (land, apartments, 
and houses) listings of other members. 

"The realtor who, as an agent, sells the property," the Court was 
told, "shares the commission with the realtor who secured the listing." 

The LDF complaint stated that Multilist is the dominant multiple- 
listing organization in Pittsburgh. 

"During 1966, Multilist's dollar volume exceeded eight million 
dollars," the Court was told. 

LDF attorneys pointed out that “all the officers and members of 
Multilist are white” while "none of the 11 licensed Negro real estate 
brokers and 24 licensed Negro salesmen" in the city is a member of 
Multilist. 

LDF attorneys rest their anti trust assertion here, as they have 
done in other cities, on the following: 

* A "substantial portion of all materials, supplies and merchan- 
dise for the construction and furnishing of new houses in 
Pittsburgh are manufactured outside Pennsylvania and transported 
in interstate commerce." 

* Multilist members secure mortgages and insurance for clients 
from banks and savings and loan associations "which are sub- 
stantially engaged in interstate commerce." 

The lawyers argue that these tactics have resulted in the barring 
of Negro real estate brokers "from procuring customers for this inter 
state commerce," 

ter 

In addition, "substantial numbers of Negro persons from outside 
Pennsylvania have been prevented from moving to Pittsburgh because 
they have been unable to buy or rent land, apartments and houses 
located in predominantly white neighborhoods," 

(more) 
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HOUSING BIAS SUIT 
CITES ANTI TRUST 
ACT IN PITTSBURGH -2- April 5, 1967 

The result has been to contain Negroes to “housing facilities in 
predominantly Negro neighborhoods of Pittsburgh." 

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LDF attorneys representing Mr, Lavelle are Byrd Brown, Pittsburgh; 
Director-Counsel Jack Greenberg, James M, Nabrit III, and Sheila Rush 
Jones of the LDF national office in New York City; and, Jay H. Topkis, 
also of New York City. o 

=30< 

EDITOR'S NOTE: The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) 
is a separate and different organization from the NAACP, Our correct 
designation is: NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., which 
we shorten to LDF.