World
Class action lawsuit on AI-related discrimination reaches final settlement
Mary Louis’ excitement to move into an apartment in Massachusetts in the spring of 2021 turned to dismay when Louis, a Black woman, received an email saying that a “third-party service” had denied her tenancy.
That third-party service included an algorithm designed to score rental applicants, which became the subject of a class action lawsuit, with Louis at the helm, alleging that the algorithm discriminated on the basis of race and income.
A federal judge approved a settlement in the lawsuit, one of the first of it’s kind, on Wednesday, with the company behind the algorithm agreeing to pay over $2.2 million and roll back certain parts of it’s screening products that the lawsuit alleged were discriminatory.
The settlement does not include any admissions of fault by the company SafeRent Solutions, which said in a statement that while it “continues to believe the SRS Scores comply with all applicable laws, litigation is time-consuming and expensive.”
While such lawsuits might be relatively new, the use of algorithms or artificial intelligence programs to screen or score Americans isn’t. For years, AI has been furtively helping make consequential decisions for U.S. residents.
When a person submits a job application, applies for a home loan or even seeks certain medical care, there’s a chance that an AI system or algorithm is scoring or assessing them like it did Louis. Those AI systems, however, are largely unregulated, even though some have been found to discriminate.
“Management companies and landlords need to know that they’re now on notice, that these systems that they are assuming are reliable and good are going to be challenged,” said Todd Kaplan, one of Louis’ attorneys.
The lawsuit alleged SafeRent’s algorithm didn’t take into account the benefits of housing vouchers, which they said was an important detail for a renter’s ability to pay the monthly bill, and it therefore discriminated against low-income applicants who qualified for the aid.
The suit also accused SafeRent’s algorithm of relying too much on credit information. They argued that it fails to give a full picture of an applicant’s ability to pay rent on time and unfairly dings applicants with housing vouchers who are Black and Hispanic partly because they have lower median credit scores, attributable to historical inequities.
Christine Webber, one of the plaintiff’s attorneys, said that just because an algorithm or AI is not programmed to discriminate, the data an algorithm uses or weights could have “the same effect as if you told it to discriminate intentionally.”
When Louis’ application was denied, she tried appealing the decision, sending two landlords’ references to show she’d paid rent early or on time for 16 years, even if she didn’t have a strong credit history.
Louis, who had a housing voucher, was scrambling, having already given notice to her previous landlord that she was moving out, and she was charged with taking care of her granddaughter.
The response from the management company, which used SafeRent’s screening service, read, “We do not accept appeals and cannot override the outcome of the Tenant Screening.”
Louis felt defeated; the algorithm didn’t know her, she said.
“Everything is based on numbers. You don’t get the individual empathy from them,” said Louis. “There is no beating the system. The system is always going to beat us.”
While state lawmakers have proposed aggressive regulations for these types of AI systems, the proposals have largely failed to get enough support. That means lawsuits like Louis’ are starting to lay the groundwork for AI accountability.
SafeRent’s defense attorneys argued in a motion to dismiss that the company shouldn’t be held liable for discrimination because SafeRent wasn’t making the final decision on whether to accept or deny a tenant. The service would screen applicants, score them and submit a report, but leave it to landlords or management companies to accept or deny a tenant.
Louis’ attorneys, along with the U.S. Department of Justice, which submitted a statement of interest in the case, argued that SafeRent’s algorithm could be held accountable because it still plays a role in access to housing. The judge denied SafeRent’s motion to dismiss on those counts.
The settlement stipulates that SafeRent can’t include its score feature on its tenant screening reports in certain cases, including if the applicant is using a housing voucher. It also requires that if SafeRent develops another screening score it plans to use, it must be validated by a third-party that the plaintiffs agree to.
Louis’ son found an affordable apartment for her on Facebook Marketplace that she has since moved into, though it was $200 more expensive and in a less desirable area.
“I’m not optimistic that I’m going to catch a break, but I have to keep on keeping, that’s it,” said Louis. “I have too many people who rely on me.”
___
Jesse Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
World
Jonathan Majors Fell Through a Window on Daily Wire Action Movie Set; Producers Downplay the Accident Amid Crew Strike
Jonathan Majors‘ new action movie, backed by Ben Shapiro’s The Daily Wire and Dallas Sonnier‘s Bonfire Legend, is facing scrutiny following an on-set accident and a crew strike.
On Friday, Deadline obtained footage of Majors and his co-star, JC Kilcoyne, accidentally falling through a window while filming a scene. In the clip, the two actors stumble backwards into the glass before falling through and out of the frame. As crew members rush in to check whether they’re okay, two voices can be heard affirming that they’re “good.” A voice that appears to be Majors asks if the production was rolling on the action. “Did we shoot it?” the man asks. “Use it.”
Sources told Deadline that the accident occurred “after the window was replaced with an unsecured sheet of tempered glass to be purposefully shattered in a later stunt that did not involve any actors,” and that the actors, and the pane of glass, fell about six feet to the ground. The same sources revealed that Kilcoyne required stitches in his hands.
Kilcoyne’s reps tell Variety that the actor is “doing well and was taken care of immediately by production.” Kilcoyne is wrapped filming on the movie, but his team notes that he “did not feel unsafe on set and continued to have a positive experience working on the project.”
Representatives for Majors have not returned requests for comment. In addition to starring in the film, Majors is an executive producer on the movie under his Tall Street Productions banner.
“The actors’ fall was shorter than the failed movie careers of the now-union reps,” Sonnier told Variety, responding to a request for comment about the accident, as well as the production’s negotiations with the crew who’ve walked off the South Carolina set.
On March 26, IATSE called a strike against the production after crew members walked off the job, which is shooting under the working title “Knuckle,” over a series of labor concerns. Deadline’s reporting indicates that the on-set accident was many crew members’ final straw with the indie production.
“The producers are actively looking for replacement crew,” IATSE shared in a social media post. “All IATSE members are advised not to cross the picket line.”
Despite the walkout, filming is said to continue in some capacity. Variety has reached out to the union for additional comment on the strike’s status.
The film is written and directed by Kyle Rankin, who reunites with the Daily Wire and Bonfire Legend after the 2020 actioner “Run Hide Fight.” The film, which starred Isabel May and Thomas Jane, premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Details about the untitled action movie are largely being kept under wraps, but an early logline hinted toward the plot: “When threats strike the heart of the homeland, American warriors rise with unbreakable grit and unrelenting firepower to defend what makes this country worth fighting for.”
Majors stars in the project after his skyrocketing career — with standout roles in “Creed III,” “Lovecraft Country,” Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and the “Loki” series — stalled following a 2023 domestic assault conviction. In the wake of the controversy, the actor was fired from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and lost major parts in movies like a pseudo-biopic in which he’d portray basketball legend Dennis Rodman.
In recent months, Majors has staged his comeback, returning to theaters with the tense bodybuilding drama “Magazine Dreams,” which had received rave reviews in its Sundance debut. He is also set to appear in Martin Villeneuve’s thriller “Merciless.”
World
UK prosecutors charge 3, including dual Pakistani citizen, in arson attack on Jewish ambulances in London
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
British prosecutors charged three suspects — ages 17, 19 and 20 — in an alleged arson attack targeting Jewish community ambulances in north London.
The March 23 incident unfolded at around 1:45 a.m. in the Golders Green neighborhood, where four ambulances operated by a volunteer emergency service serving the Jewish community were deliberately set ablaze in a synagogue parking lot.
Hamza Iqbal, 20, Rehan Khan, 19, and a 17-year-old boy are accused of arson with intent to damage property while recklessly endangering life, according to the Metropolitan Police.
Officials said two of the suspects are British citizens, while one holds dual British and Pakistani citizenship.
GUILTY VERDICTS IN ISIS PLOT POLICE SAY COULD HAVE BEEN ‘THE DEADLIEST TERRORIST ATTACK IN UK HISTORY’
Members of the Jewish community view an alleged antisemitic arson attack in the Golders Green neighborhood of north London March 24, 2026. (Henry Nicholls/AFP)
All three were arrested Wednesday at separate locations across London.
They did not enter pleas and remained in custody after a roughly 45-minute hearing Saturday afternoon at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, according to The Standard.
Prosecutors said a fourth suspect was also arrested and taken into custody at the courthouse where the three charged men were appearing, according to Reuters.
UK COUNTERTERRORISM POLICE PROBE ANTISEMITIC ARSON ATTACK AS IRAN-LINKED GROUP CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY
Firefighters tackle a blaze at Highfield Road in the Golders Green neighborhood of London after an apparent arson attack on four ambulances belonging to the Jewish Community Ambulance Service. (PA/PA Images via Getty Images)
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously condemned the attack as a “horrifying” antisemitic act.
“An attack on our Jewish community is an attack on us all. We will fight the poison that is antisemitism,” Starmer wrote on X March 23.
A report from the SITE Intelligence Group says an Iran-backed network calling itself the Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand has claimed responsibility, according to Reuters.
UK ARRESTS 2 OVER ‘ANTISEMITIC ARSON ATTACK’ AS POLICE INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE IRAN LINK
Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel visits the site after four ambulances belonging to Hatzola, a Jewish community organization, were set on fire in northwest London March 23, 2026. (Isabel Infantes/Reuters)
Despite the claim, officials have not formally classified the case as terrorism. However, counterterrorism police are leading the investigation, Metropolitan Police said.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Police in the United Kingdom previously arrested two other men, ages 45 and 47, in the days after the attack. They were later released on bail, according to the Metropolitan Police.
“I want to reiterate that the support we had from the local community since this attack took place has been incredible, and we will continue to work closely with local policing colleagues to do everything we can to keep the public safe,” Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said in a statement.
The Metropolitan Police did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter and Greg Norman and Reuters contributed to this report.
World
Indonesia receives bodies of peacekeepers killed in southern Lebanon
Foreign Minister Sugiono told reporters that Indonesia wants a thorough UN investigation into the deaths of the peacekeepers.
Published On 4 Apr 2026
Indonesia has received the bodies of three United Nations peacekeepers who were killed in southern Lebanon during Israel’s invasion of the country, amid the ongoing United States-Israel war on Iran.
The coffins of the killed soldiers arrived in Indonesia on Saturday. They were carried on the shoulders of uniformed officers for a ceremony attended by President Prabowo Subianto.
list of 3 itemsend of listRecommended Stories
After the ceremony, Foreign Minister Sugiono told reporters that Indonesia wants a thorough UN investigation into the deaths of the peacekeepers who were part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
“This is a peacekeeping mission. Incidents such as this should not happen,” the minister told reporters at the airport.
“There must be a security guarantee for peacekeeping soldiers,” he added.
Last week, peacekeeper Farizal Rhomadhon, 28, was killed after a projectile exploded. A UN security source told the AFP news agency anonymously on Tuesday that fire from an Israeli tank was responsible for the attack.
A day later, two more Indonesian peacekeepers, Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, 33, and Muhammad Nur Ichwan, 26, were killed after an explosion struck a UNIFIL logistics convoy in southern Lebanon.
Iskandar’s father said he was shocked that peacekeepers were losing their lives in the conflict.
“We were really sad and regretful, because this is a UN troop, a peacekeeping troop, not deployed for war,” Iskandarudin, 60, told reporters at his house in West Java province.
The three men are expected to be laid to rest on Sunday, and the government has promised financial support for the families.
On Friday, UNIFIL announced that three peacekeepers were wounded after a blast at a UN facility near Adeisse and were taken to hospital.
The UN information centre in Jakarta said the “origin of the explosion” was unknown, but identified the injured soldiers as Indonesian.
“Repeated attacks or incidents of this kind are unacceptable,” the Indonesian foreign ministry said in a statement.
The government urged the UN Security Council “to immediately convene a meeting of troop-contributing countries to UNIFIL to conduct a review and take measures to enhance the protection of personnel serving with UNIFIL”.
The US-Israel war on Iran spread to Lebanon after Iran-aligned Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel, following the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war on February 28.
Israel has bombarded the country for weeks and launched an invasion, with Israeli officials saying the mission intends to set up a security zone extending 30km (18.6 miles) from the Israeli border.
-
South-Carolina7 days agoSouth Carolina vs TCU predictions for Elite Eight game in March Madness
-
Education1 week agoVideo: Transgender Athletes Barred From Women’s Olympic Events
-
Miami, FL1 week agoJannik Sinner’s Girlfriend Laila Hasanovic Stuns in Ab-Revealing Post Amid Miami Open
-
Minneapolis, MN1 week agoBoy who shielded classmate during school shooting receives Medal of Honor
-
Vermont7 days ago
Skier dies after fall at Sugarbush Resort
-
Politics7 days agoTrump’s Ballroom Design Has Barely Been Scrutinized
-
Atlanta, GA7 days agoFetishist ‘No Kings’ protester in mask drags ‘Trump’ and ‘JD Vance’ behind her wheelchair
-
Entertainment3 days agoInside Ye’s first comeback show at SoFi Stadium