Franklin County Jury Awards $750,000 in Smith Mountain Lake Housing Discrimination Case

A Franklin County jury awarded $750,000 to two families that were evicted after the campground owner discovered one family member was Black. According to Attorney General Jason Miyares, the verdict is the largest fair housing award that the Virginia attorney general’s office has ever received.

Regina Turner was the owner of Lazy cove campground, which had rented out lakeside lots for many years to families. In June 2020, Regina Turner sought to evict the two families she had rented lakeside lots to for decades.

Turner allegedly told a tenant that he would not have rented a lot to the couple if he had known the husband of his friend was Black. According to The Washington Post’s report, Turner filed a complaint with the Virginia Fair Housing Board. I saw the son but I thought everyone makes mistakes .”

Miyares described the jury’s verdict as a crucial victory against racial bias in fair housing.

Miyares, in a Thursday statement, said that “Housing discrimination – and discrimination in general – will not be tolerated” in Virginia. “We’re pleased with the jury’s decision, and I am immensely proud of my Civil Rights Unit.” Franklin County residents have spoken out: Smith Mountain Lake belongs to everyone .”

Turner has denied that she evicted the families, but acknowledged making the controversial call. In an interview with The Post, she admitted that “I said that to some degree.” “I said that I had a right of knowing who was moving in. I felt betrayed. However, court documents allege that she also told the mother of another tenant, “No Blacks allowed in my campsite .”

The lawsuit was a result of the experiences of Amanda Mills, a long-time friend, and Angela Smith. Both women had set up their campers in Lazy Cove, believing it to be a great place to escape the pandemic. Mills and Turner had agreed to a rental agreement without any problems, but when Turner learned of Smith’s spouse’s race he took immediate action to remove the two families.

Turner would not refund the rental fees to the families or let them sell their campers. This restriction was not placed on any other tenants. Turner’s alleged comment about their son was the most painful aspect of the experience for the Smiths.

It took the jury less than two minutes to decide to award $100,000 each to each couple as compensation for their humiliation and emotional distress. The jury also awarded $550,000 as punitive damages in order to punish Turner and prevent future discrimination.

Damien Smith, who was convicted, said that the verdict made him feel relieved, but also angry. “We never should have been forced to go through this,” he added. “It was the year 2020, but we were still being judged based on the color of the skin instead of the type of person we were .”

Turner’s lawyer has filed a motion for a reversal of the verdict. A court hearing is scheduled in April.

Email the Franklin County Board of Supervisors:
Mike Carter, Mike.Carter@franklincountyva.gov,
Marshall Jamison, Marshall.Jamison@franklincountyva.gov,
Mike Meredith, mike.meredith@franklincountyva.gov,
Nick Mitchell, Nick.Mitchell@franklincountyva.gov,
Dan Quinn, dan.quinn@franklincountyva.gov,
Lorie Smith, Lorie.Smith@franklincountyva.gov,
Tim Tatum, tim.tatum@franklincountyva.gov,

Email the Franklin County School Board:
Arlet Greer,
Jonathan Holley,
Jerry Conner,
Rebekah Slocum,
Jeff Worley,
Ron Shiflett,
Sandra Ingram,
Todd Martin,