By Oregon Small Business Association,
Oregon’s ban on “love letters” designed to sweeten a potential buyer’s offer on a home, which takes effect Jan. 1, violates the First Amendment, according to the conservative Pacific Legal Foundation.
Representing 20 agents with Total Real Estate Group in Bend, the foundation filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Portland challenging House Bill 2550, which both the House of Representatives and state Senate approved, and Gov. Kate Brown signed into law.
The law, the first of its type in the nation, is designed to prevent home sellers from discriminating against potential buyers on the basis of race, gender, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, or any other reason, according to the Oregonian/Oregon Live https://www.oregonlive.com/realestate/2021/11/lawsuit-seeks-to-overturn-oregons-first-in-nation-ban-on-home-buying-love-letters.html.
However, the Pacific Legal Foundation says the ban addresses a problem that doesn’t exist. The state already has laws against housing discrimination, and supporters of the ban cited no proof that “love letters” from buyers have resulted in discrimination by sellers.
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