D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine has filed eight different lawsuits alleging that landlords, property managers and realtors discriminated against D.C. housing voucher holders.

Racine is suing 16 real estate companies and professionals for allegedly creating online ads that said they would not rent to prospective tenants who used housing vouchers — actions that disproportionately harmed Black D.C. residents.

“Discriminating against District residents who use housing vouchers to pay for their rent violates D.C. law,” Racine said in a press release. “Residents squeezed by the existing affordable housing crisis and now the economic turmoil caused by the pandemic should not have to face the additional barrier of illegal housing discrimination.”

The lawsuit, which targets properties in Wards 1, 4, 5, 7 and 8, seeks an injunction “to stop the illegal discrimination” as well as “damages, civil penalties, and costs to the District.” The District’s Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on source of income and bars actions with “the effect or consequence” of discriminating again on race.

More than 10,000 District households rely on what’s called a “Section 8” housing voucher, according to Racine’s office, and more than 90% of those voucher holders are Black — even though only 48% of the city’s residents are Black. These vouchers allow tenants to rent homes at market rate.

According to the Attorney General’s office, the ads in question included phrases like “NOT APPROVED for Voucher Program of DC Housing,” “Not available for housing vouchers,” and “No Section 8.”

While discriminating against renters based on their source of income is illegal in the District, the practice is still common. A 2018 study from the Urban Institute found that 15% of landlords in the city refused to accept vouchers, and an additional 14% of landlords were either unclear on their voucher policy or placed some conditions on the use of vouchers.

Racine’s office has previously gone after real estate companies and landlords for alleged discrimination.

In 2018, the Attorney General’s office sued Evolve and Evolve Property Management, alleging that the companies discriminated against voucher holders in advertisements and refused to schedule apartment viewings for people who said they planned to pay rent with a voucher.

Last year, the office sued Curtis Investment Group, alleging the company discriminated against voucher holders and refused to accept payments from the city’s rapid re-housing program. In February, it reached a settlement with Curtis in which the company agreed to pay $900,000 to the District, implement anti-discrimination policies, and provide anti-discrimination training for its employees.

And earlier this year, the Attorney General’s office sued Daro Management and two related real estate companies, alleging that they had discriminated against people who planned to pay for apartments with housing vouchers and people who were exiting local homeless shelters and looking for housing.

The D.C. Council has also vowed to tackle source of income discrimination. A bill introduced by At-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman last year would increase penalties for landlords who refuse to rent to people who use federal rental assistance vouchers to help cover their rent. The bill, which was supported by a majority of councilmembers at the time of its introduction, has not yet received a hearing.

This story was updated to add additional background about voucher discrimination in the District.