Invitation Homes – $19.9 Million Settlement
Case Name: Blackbird Special Project ex rel. San Diego, et al. v. Invitation Homes
Case type: Whistleblower and Qui Tam Practice
Filed in: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
Docket:Case No.: 22-cv-0260-BAS-MMP
Case Summary
In October 2024, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight and co-counsel Leonard Simon settled a California False Claims Act matter against Invitation Homes, the largest single-family corporate landlord in America. Invitation Homes agreed to a $19.9 million settlement to resolve claims brought by our whistleblower client on behalf of 35 cities across California. Our client received roughly 20 percent of the settlement, or $4.6 million.
The Complaint alleged that Invitation Homes conducted extensive renovations on some 12,000 single-family homes without obtaining the required building permits from local cities and municipalities. Invitation Homes failed to obtain the permits to avoid permit fees and property tax increases, which deprived 35 cities of much-needed funds and caused safety risks to tenants.
News Coverage
- One of nation’s largest corporate landlords to pay Calif. cities $20 million, The Washington Post, July 22, 2024
- At Invitation Homes, unpermitted work leaves leaky plumbing, faulty repairs, renters say, The Washington Post, July 12, 2022
Attorneys Involved in the Case
H. Vincent McKnight Jr.
Co-Vice Chairman
John McKnight
Washington, DC Partner
Christine Dunn
Co-Managing Partner of the Washington, DC Office
Shaun Rosenthal
Of Counsel
James Hannaway
Senior Litigation Counsel
Frank Xu
Senior Litigation Counsel
Shannon Henris
Associate