A Minnesota jury found home seller Chadwick Banken liable for violating the Minnesota Human Rights Act by targeting Muslim homebuyers in a deceptive contract for deed scheme. The scheme involved inflated prices, large down payments, and balloon payments designed to cause defaults, allowing Banken to keep payments and resell properties. Remedies including restitution will be determined at a later hearing.
The jury found Banken liable; the court will determine remedies, including restitution to victims, at a future hearing.
In-house legal teams should review real estate purchase agreements, especially contracts for deed, for terms that could be deemed predatory or discriminatory. Key clauses to examine include balloon payment provisions, default and forfeiture terms, down payment requirements, and any marketing or targeting based on religion. Vendor agreements with real estate agents or brokers should include anti-discrimination and fair lending compliance obligations. Customer-facing contracts should ensure clear disclosure of all terms and avoid hidden fees or unfair cancellation policies.
Entity
Chadwick Banken
Industry
Real Estate"Chadwick Banken"
"Minnesota Human Rights Act"
"Consumer Financial Protection Act"
"Prevention of Consumer Fraud Act"
"Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act"
"targeting Muslim homebuyers in his deceptive and unlawful contract for deed scheme"
The Minnesota Attorney General entered into a 10-year oversight agreement with Sanford Health and North Memorial Health to allow their merger to proceed, conditioned on commitments to invest $600 million in Minnesota hospitals, maintain core services including the Level 1 trauma center at Robbinsdale Hospital, honor collective-bargaining agreements, and maintain charity care and government program participation. The agreement also requires quarterly meetings and annual reporting to the Attorney General for 10 years.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed an opposition to X.AI's motion for a preliminary injunction seeking to block enforcement of Minnesota's anti-nudification law, which bans commercial platforms from allowing users to generate synthetic intimate images of real people. The court previously denied X.AI's motion for a temporary restraining order, and the law took effect August 1, 2026. The AG argues X.AI cannot show irreparable harm and is unlikely to prevail on the merits of its First Amendment claims.
$1.4M
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison reached a settlement with Stevens Community Medical Center (SCMC) over allegations that SCMC improperly calculated discounts required for uninsured patients with household incomes under $125,000, violating the Minnesota Hospital Agreement and state law. As a result, some uninsured patients were billed up to 20.5% more than allowed. SCMC must provide up to $1,412,776.25 in refunds or medical-debt reductions to potentially eligible patients.
$945K
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a settlement with Unlock Partnership Solutions, Inc. over allegations that its 'home equity agreements' were actually unlawful mortgage loans that violated Minnesota's predatory interest rate caps and disclosure requirements. Unlock agreed to pay $944,626 in monetary and debt relief, cease lending unless licensed, and comply with Minnesota mortgage laws.
Attorney General Ellison joined a coalition of 23 other states and DC to sue the Trump administration over a policy that would allow the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to share sensitive TANF recipient data with other federal agencies. The lawsuit argues the policy violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the Spending Clause, and seeks to block its implementation.
The Minnesota court denied X.AI's request for a temporary restraining order that would have halted enforcement of Minnesota's first-in-the-nation AI nudification ban (HF 1606). The law bans technology that generates fake nude images of real people, and Attorney General Ellison argued that X.AI's delay in filing the motion showed no immediate harm. The court agreed, allowing the law to take effect as planned.