photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Adam Hall, an attorney representing a group of landlords in a lawsuit against the City of Lawrence, listens as Judge Mark Simpson speaks during a hearing Monday, Aug. 21, 2023, in Douglas County District Court.

A lawsuit filed against the City of Lawrence by a group of landlords over changes to the city’s nondiscrimination ordinance will go to trial in the first half of 2024, according to court records.

At a case management conference at the end of September, Judge Mark Simpson set May 1, 2024, as the start date for the trial.

As the Journal-World has reported, the Landlords of Lawrence organization filed a civil suit against the City of Lawrence in April aiming to prevent parts of the ordinance from going into effect, claiming that they are unconstitutional. The ordinance now prohibits landlords from refusing to accept rental applications based on source of income and makes it unlawful to discriminate based on someone’s status as a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking or stalking, and based on someone’s immigration status.

The landlords group’s request to prevent the provisions related to source of income and immigration status from going into effect was denied, meaning the changes have been able to take effect while the case goes through the legal process. At a hearing in late August to decide on the city’s subsequent motion to dismiss the lawsuit, Simpson ruled that the motion would be denied and litigation could continue.