State Ex Rel. Cooper v. French

I respectfully dissent. Precedent establishes the refusal to rent real property to an unmarried woman because she would be *12living with her fiance is a prima facie violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act’s (MHRA) prohibition of marital status discrimination. I believe the majority misconstrues legislative history, public policy and the facts presented to reach a result contrary to this court’s interpretation of the MHRA.

I

The Minnesota Human Rights Act provides in relevant part:

It is an unfair discriminatory practice: (1) For an owner, lessee * * *(a) to refuse to sell, rent, or lease * * *…