Settlement reached in favor of Black Bay Area couple lowballed $500K in home appraisal
The judge has ordered the appraiser to watch ABC7's 'Our America: Lowballed'
MARIN CITY, Calif. (KGO) -- The subjects of ABC7 News documentary "Our America: Lowballed," whose story of an appraiser undervaluing their Marin City home due to alleged racial discrimination that shifted state and federal housing policy, settled a lawsuit against the appraiser.
Paul and Tenisha Austin's story went viral when ABC7's Julian Glover reported in 2021 that the value of their home skyrocketed by $500,000.
WATCH: 'Our America: Lowballed'
The family believed their home appraisal came in low during a refinance, so they "white washed" their home by taking down family photos, artwork, even hair products- and had a white friend stand in.
The appraiser who performed the low appraisal has to pay the Austin's an undisclosed amount of money, required to agree not to discriminate in the future, attend a training session regarding the history of segregation in real-estate discrimination provided by the Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California, complete state-assigned continuing education, and is required to watch Julian Glover's documentary "Our America: Lowballed."
RELATED: Black California couple lowballed by $500K in home appraisal, believe race was a factor
The Austin's previously settled a suit against the appraisal management company that dispatched the appraiser that came in $500k lower than expected. Paul and Tenisha Austin have shared their story at the White House, California Reparations Task Force and recently the Appraisal Subcommittee.
Paul and Tenisha's story has gone on to change state and federal law.
RELATED: 'Our America: Lowballed,' documentary exploring inequality in home appraisals, premieres in Bay Area
You can stream Our America: Lowballed" right now on Hulu. Search "Our America" then search for the most recent installment titled "Lowballed."
If you're on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live
