Last week, my firm, Jaafar & Mahdi Law Group, along with the firms of Nabih H Ayad & Associates and Barry A. Seifman, filed a class action lawsuit against Huntington Bank for closing large numbers of bank accounts in a discriminatory manner.  Huntington targeted members of the Arab, Middle Eastern and Muslim communities for account closures, in violation of state and federal law.  Hundreds of people have come forward to make this claim and there are likely hundreds more who have yet to come forward.

But Huntington is not alone in its discrimination against the community.  Members of the community continue to come forward with stories of discriminatory account closures, committed by other banks.  Just yesterday, I met with a young married couple who brought their newborn son with them to meet with me at my office.  They were a delightful young family, who explained that they had never done anything improper with their bank account.  Yet, Chase Bank decided to close their account, offering no explanation.  The imagery at the meeting was striking – the school teacher and the businessman sitting across from their lawyer with a sleeping baby in a stroller behind them.  The future of our community is at stake in this fight.

Our community has had its share of bad guys, who have made headlines in recent years.  The cycle is all too familiar.  Whenever it becomes apparent that the accused had actually done what was alleged, the community is quick to denounce him and distance itself as much as possible: He is not one of us.  But this issue is different.  Banks are targeting people in our community, far and wide.  Our doctors, business people, homemakers, teachers, and even young children, have had their accounts closed, while being left to wonder: “What did I do wrong?”  The answer is, you did nothing wrong.  And when you know that you’re completely right and someone has aggrieved you, you have two choices: Stay quiet and remain obedient, or come out swinging.

Banks refusing to do business with our community, based on race, religion, or national origin are crossing a red line.  The lawsuit we filed against Huntington is likely the first such lawsuit, with others to follow.  Our community cannot sit idly by, while we are systematically disconnected from the economy.  And for those of you who are thinking, “Why would a bank close somebody’s account if they did nothing wrong?” that’s the whole point of this lawsuit.  

— Kassem Dakhlallah is a partner with Jaafar & Mahdi Law Group, P.C.  His practice focuses on complex litigation including class actions, representative actions, commercial litigation, civil forfeiture and personal injury. He can be reached at 313. 846.6400 and kassem@jaafarandmahdi.com.