Below is a review of the posts on Facebook and LinkedIn from the past week. You can check out the full posts by clicking on the links.
NOTE: remember that we now post every other day.
The posts on Monday 8/31/2026, here and here, noted: ‘You’re too old to know this’: Zillow faces bias claim from White man. How easy that statement made it for an age discrimination claim.
A lawsuit filed against Zillow on August 4 in federal court in Colorado alleges violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Brantley, a 43-year-old White man, worked in several sales-related roles at Zillow from 2018 to 2025 and contributed to a high-achieving team that gained various accolades. But in contrast with his performance, Brantley was allegedly denied promotion opportunities which were given to less-qualified candidates outside his protected class. He also alleges “age-based mockery”.
Brantley took medical leave in September 2025 after a panic attack allegedly prompted by receiving a sudden job-in-jeopardy notice. Right before Brantley returned to work, he filed an official complaint of retaliation, hostile work environment and discrimination. And then he was fired the next day. Let’s take a closer look at the background and suit that (of course) followed.
Brantley’s complaint alleges a series of vivid, age-based acts of mockery. For example, his supervisor would play a song at the start of team meetings and ask team members to identify the song. When Brantley’s turn came, his supervisor would allegedly state, “Ah, you’re too old to know this.” How often Brantley alleges this occurred is noted in the post.
There were also incidents involving hairstyles and comments Brantley’s supervisor would make – see the post. Brantley then posted an article about appearance-based harassment in Slack; how he characterized that in his complaint is described in the post.
There was also an incident where the team wore shirts with Brantley on them, reading “and Brantley.” What the shirt referred to, and when they were worn, is all in the post. Brantley’s complaint alleges that this was part of the harassment related to his hairstyle and age. What his supervisor said when Brantley complained is in the post.
The situation came to head when Brantley allegedly issued a complaint regarding potential retaliation occurring against one of his team members taking leave. What Brantley’s supervisor allegedly told him to do is noted in the post. And similarly, shortly after the complaint was made, Brantley received an email from the supervisor citing performance concerns, with a follow-up email presenting a job-in-jeopardy notice. A few days later, Brantley went out on a 90-day medical leave (on the basis detailed in the post).
Zillow issued a comment related to Brantley’s suit – at least part of it is in the post.
You should know that inclusion for older workers is a matter of legal compliance under the ADEA, but there is more. Workers over age 55 comprise about a quarter of the workforce according to a report noted in the post; the percentage of workers over age 65 has increased too since 2014 – see the post for the exact number. Despite comprising such a large portion of the workforce, 90% of workers over age 50 report experiencing age discrimination (the post has a link to the source).
Employers also could be subject to big payments for violations. In one example, HCL America interviewed but refused to hire a candidate because he was “too old” for the position (see the link in the post for more details). This past April, a court ordered HCL to pay the former candidate $495,000 to settle the age and national origin discrimination lawsuit.
TAKEAWAY: As the working population ages, employers must ensure they continue to be integrated into the business – and that no adverse action is taken against them by virtue of their age (or any other protected characteristic).
The posts on Wednesday 9/2/2026, here and here, were an alert: US Dept. of Treasury and FinCEN issue Final Rule ending Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) beneficial ownership reporting requirements for community association board members. This has been a long time coming …
On Aug. 11, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a final rule (linked in the post) removing requirements for U.S. companies and U.S. persons, including community association board members, to report beneficial ownership information to FinCEN under the Corporate Transparency Act. The final rule will be effective once published in the Federal Register.
And there’s more – FinCEN also said that will delete previously reported information by U.S. persons, including community association board members, who had disclosed personal information (which under the Final Rule is now exempt from reporting requirements) from its beneficial ownership information database. (Whether that really happens, and where the deleted information goes or can still be found, remains to be seen.)
The Final Rule is a follow-up to the interim final rule (linked in the post) issued by FinCEN last year. As one of the entities heavily invested in this, the Community Associations Institute (CAI) has advocated for community association board members to be exempt from the CTA’s reporting requirements for the reasons noted in the post. As part of its multi-year effort, CAI engaged with federal policymakers and FinCEN and took the other actions listed in the post. And in September 2024, CAI filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Treasury Department challenging the application of the CTA to community associations. The suit remains pending since the law is still on the books.
The Final Rule is only a regulatory interpretation and exemptions under the CTA, but there is no repeal of the CTA until Congress acts. But that too is under way – the post details pending legislation, co-sponsorship status, and where it stands on the approval path. To continue that movement, CAI needs everyone to contact their representative and urge them to support the legislation to remove the CTA from federal law. You can get more information on how to do that with the ink in the post.
TAKEAWAY: While the Final Rule is a good step for community association board members, it could be repealed at a later date, leaving the CTA as valid law to be enforced. Act to help CAI get the CTA repealed.
The posts on Friday 9/4/2026, here and here, explained a survey finds more than 8 in 10 Americans living in community associations (condominium, HOA and real estate co-op) highly satisfied.
The source for that statistic is the 2026 Homeowner Satisfaction Survey released by the Foundation for Community Association Research (which is linked in the post).
The survey is the 11th edition of the Foundation’s flagship longitudinal study tracking resident perspectives since 2005. Who was contacted for responses is noted in the post.
The report is noteworthy given that community associations represent a significant and growing share of the American housing market. Approximately 78.1 million Americans live in more than 373,000 associations, accounting for more than 35% of the nation’s housing stock. And more than 80% of homes sold in recent years are located in community associations, a number that is not expected to decrease.
Key findings include:
• 82% say their elected board members strive to serve the best interests of the community.
• 77% report getting along well with their neighbors.
• 75% say their community manager provides value and support.
• 88% of residents say they always or usually vote in national elections.
•and the other things detailed in the post.
A statement from Dawn M. Bauman, CAE, chief executive officer of CAI, is in the post.
A link to the complete report and interactive dashboard is in the post.
TAKEAWAY: The survey findings point to a model of community governance that is working and resonating across the country in community associations. That is good news – and a sign of stability and market value – for current and future residents of those communities.