A class action lawsuit has been filed against the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other Federal officials for allegedly cutting off vital housing assistance without proper notification or reasoning. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in the Eastern District of Louisiana on behalf of a group of low-income individuals displaced from their homes by Hurricane Katrina. The lawsuit alleges plaintiffs were terminated from FEMA's rental assistance program before being provided an opportunity to appeal the termination, in violation of their right to due process under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, placing them at risk of homelessness and increased poverty.
The lawsuit contends that FEMA operates an unresponsive system of administrative review and issues termination notices that are confusing and contain little more than undecipherable acronyms, and that FEMA has failed to publish standards setting forth the eligibility requirements.
