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Gay couple settle out of court
The Colour of Your Money
Gay couple receives damages after estate agent ââ¬Ëoutsââ¬â¢ them in house ad
"New regulations came into force in April 2007, prohibiting any discrimination in goods and services on the basis of sexual orientation"
Suzanne Richards and Sarah Dobinson have been awarded £5,000 in damages after an estate agent printed ‘lesbians’ on the advert for their house.
The couple decided to sell their £650,000 Georgian house in Suffolk with agent Jackson-Stops & Staff who advertised the property on realty website www.rightmove.co.uk. But when the pair logged on to see their advertisement they discovered that in the section for a reference code or number, the word ‘lesbians’ had been added.
Suzanne Richards commented:
“We were both shaking with disbelief and in tears when we read the property reference. We felt so violated.”
While Jackson-Stops & Staff originally dismissed their concerns, the couple threatened to sue, prompting the estate agent to offer on an out-of-court settlement of £5,000, which Richards and Dobinson accepted.
The couple’s solicitor Eleanor Jennings added:
“The message does not seem to be getting through that businesses owe a duty not to discriminate against individuals when providing goods and services.”
The Sexual Orientation Regulations came into force in April 2007, prohibiting any discrimination in goods and services on account of sexual orientation. Ben Summerskill, chief executive of gay rights group Stonewall, which produced The Colour of Your Money, a simple guide to the new laws, said yesterday:
‘Discrimination on the grounds of sexuality will not be tolerated by the gay community.’
Find out more about the Sexual Orientation Regulations 2007 here.
