Attorney General Jay Jones Announces Proceedings to Collect on Largest Fair Housing Jury Verdict in Virginia

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. —  Attorney General Jay Jones announced that his office has begun proceedings to collect on a jury’s verdict in a historic fair housing race discrimination lawsuit. This is the largest fair housing jury verdict the office has secured to date, with the defendant’s bill now exceeding $1 million.  

In February 2025, a jury ruled that two families be awarded $750,000 after the defendant and owner of Lazy Cove Campground, Regina Turner, discriminated against them by evicting the families after learning that one of the campers was Black. Turner has failed to comply with a subsequent Circuit Court order demanding payment, bringing the bill to the historic sum and now the Office of the Attorney General filed a new suit to foreclose on the property to collect on that judgement. That property, 18-acres of waterfront on a peninsula in Smith Mountain Lake, is up for a Special Commissioner’s auction on June 10, 2026, through Woltz & Associates. 

“The protections guaranteed to all under the Fair Housing Act and strengthened by the Virginia Fair Housing Law, are to protect people in moments just like this,” said Attorney General Jay Jones. “Acts of discrimination will not be tolerated by this office and we will make sure that these families see every cent owed to them” 

In 2020, a couple who had their camper on one of Turner’s lots encouraged their friends, an interracial married couple with a young son, to buy a camper near them on the property. The wife, who is white, negotiated a lease with Turner. But when Turner learned the husband was Black, she made plans to evict both families even saying she would not have rented to them had she known the husband was Black. 

Both couples testified to the harm Turner’s appalling conduct caused them and their families. The jury took less than two hours to return a verdict, awarding $100,000 to each couple to compensate them for their losses and the humiliation and emotional toll they endured. The jury awarded an additional $550,000 in punitive damages, which are intended to punish wrongdoing and deter future discrimination. 

The case is Commonwealth of Virginia ex rel. Fair Housing Board v. Regina Turner, (Franklin County Nos. CL23005198-00, CL23005485-00). The office is represented by Senior Assistant Attorneys General Todd M. Shockley, Palmer T. Heenan, III, and Assistant Attorney General Brittany “Elle” Hinton. 

If you believe your rights have been violated, you have options: 

• File a complaint within one year with the Virginia Fair Housing Office or your local fair housing agency. 

• File a lawsuit in court within two years of the last discriminatory act. 

If you have a question or concerns about your fair housing rights, contact the Virginia Fair Housing Office. 

Published on: April 30, 2026

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