42 U.S.C. § 3617
Section 3617 · Interference, coercion, or intimidation
This is § 818 of the Fair Housing Act (Title VIII, Civil Rights Act of 1968)
Amended 2 times on record
Applied in 286 court decisions — leading case Foster v. Barilow (1993)
Most recently applied in 2026 IL App (1st) 250147 - Schoff v. Lakeshore Estates Homeowners Ass'n (March 2026)
Cases citing this section usually also cite 42 U.S.C. § 3604 · 42 U.S.C. § 3601 · 42 U.S.C. § 3602
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
It shall be unlawful to coerce, intimidate, threaten, or interfere with any person in the exercise or enjoyment of, or on account of his having exercised or enjoyed, or on account of his having aided or encouraged any other person in the exercise or enjoyment of, any right granted or protected by section 3603, 3604, 3605, or 3606 of this title.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Prior Provisions
A prior section 818 of Pub. L. 90–284 was renumbered section 819 and is classified to section 3618 of this title.
Amendments
1988—Pub. L. 100–430 struck out at end “This section may be enforced by appropriate civil action.”
Effective Date of 1988 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 100–430 effective on the 180th day beginning after Sept. 13, 1988, see section 13(a) of Pub. L. 100–430, set out as a note under section 3601 of this title.