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An Iowa insurance company founded in 1958 has been reprimanded by the U.S. Department of Justice for offering faith-based homeowner and renter insurance policies, but continues to offer similar benefits on the basis of religion through its auto insurance program.
A Department of Justice settlement bars Iowa insurance company GuideOne from offering free-of-charge benefits to people of faith as a part of homeowner and renter policies, but does not stop the practice for auto insurance.
GuideOne Mutual Insurance Company, located in West Des Moines, and two of its agents have entered into a settlement with the Department of Justice in which they must pay $29,500 to three victims of discrimination, an additional $45,000 to the government as a civil penalty and stop the alleged discriminatory practices of offering special discounts only to “churchgoers” and “persons of faith.”
The federal complaint, which was filed in the Western District of Kentucky, alleges that the company and its agents offered a special endorsement to their homeowners and renters insurance policies at no extra charged called “FaithGuard,” which provided special benefits and discounts only to select religious persons. The provision was offered in at least 19 states and used an application form that included a space for applicants to indicate their religious denomination.
“Discrimination on the basis of someone’s religious faith is prohibited by the Fair Housing Act,” said Loretta King, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “All individuals have the right to secure homeowners and renters insurance without regard to their religious beliefs, and the Civil Rights Division will continue to ensure those rights are protected.”
The lawsuit also alleges that the company’s conduct constitutes a pattern or practice of discrimination or a denial of rights to a group of persons. The suite arose as a result of complaints filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by two individuals, one an atheist and one an agnostic, and by the Lexington (Kentucky) Fair Housing Council, a non-profit fair housing organization. After investigating the complaints, HUD issued a charge of discrimination, and after one of the complainants elected to ahve the case heard in federal court, the case was referred to the Justice Department.
The settlement requires GuideOne to stop selling homeowners and renters insurance policies with the FaithGuard provision, to train agents of their responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act and to provide periodic reports to the Justice Department. The suit and settlement, however, do not bar the company from continuing to offer FaithGuard provisions in conjunction with auto insurance policies.
The company’s auto insurance policies for “people of faith” include special benefits at no additional charge that include the waiving of deductibles if the insured is involved in an accident while driving to or from church or a church-sponsored activity, the paying of church tithing or donations in the event loss of income due to auto accident, doubling of medical limits if an accident occurs while driving to or from church or church activity, and memorial gifts to the church in the event of a deadly accident.
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