Christian Realtor Wilson Fauber Now Being Subjected to ANOTHER Ethics Hearing
It’s a case of Jack Phillips all over again. After the Colorado cake baker defended himself against discrimination charges for not creating a custom wedding cake for a same-sex ceremony in violation of his religious convictions, the LGTBQ activists simply kept filing more complaints against him for the same thing, hoping to sink his business. Ultimately, it all came down to his personal speech related to LGBTQ issues. Now our client, Wilson Fauber, is facing similar treatment over his personal speech involving LGBTQ issues.
Read more about Wilson’s story:
- FFLC Defends Pastor on Charge of “Hate Speech”
- VA Realtor Found Guilty of “Hate Speech” for Posting Bible Verses
- FFLC Attorneys Argue Final Appeal for Realtor Wilson Fauber
- Case Update: Pastor's "Hate Speech" Charge Upheld By Realtor Appeals Panel
Wilson has already had to endure the long, painful process of a formal ethics hearing and appeal. Ultimately, the Virginia Association of Realtors (VAR) determined he was guilty of violating the National Association of Realtor’s (NAR) “hate speech” ethics rule. Meanwhile, Wilson continued to share his personal, Biblical beliefs about human sexuality on his personal Facebook page. So after he was found guilty and required to pay a fine and take ‘re-education’ training courses, the same two Realtors who filed the initial complaints immediately filed another complaint for the same alleged violations.
Now, FFLC attorneys will be defending Wilson again before a VAR panel on June 17. This time, however, we will be armed with a powerful tool. Just last week, the NAR met in Washington D.C. and voted to amend its Hate Speech rule to clarify that it only applies to Realtors in their professional capacity, not in their personal speech. We believe they did this is part because of the pressure from and exposure of Wilson’s story and in anticipation of our immanent lawsuit. Read more about this monumental development here: NAR Changes “Hate Speech” Rule After FFLC Pressure.
With NAR’s recent change clarifying this interpretation of its ethics rules, there is no question that VAR should find Wilson not in violation and dismiss the complaint. Either way, we are committed to do whatever it takes to vindicate Wilson Fauber and send a strong message that will help protect all 1.5 million Realtors. We hope the VAR gets it right this time, but they still need to make him whole for the harm they have already caused him in misconstruing their rules against him the first time and discriminating against him based on his religious beliefs in violation of the Virginia Fair Housing Act. Stay tuned for further developments in this important case.