FRANKLIN CO., Va. – Update:
Two families have been awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in a landmark case after a jury found the owner of Lazy Cove Campground in Smith Mountain Lake discriminated against them based on race. For the Smith family, camping at the lake was their weekend escape.
In April 2020, Angela Smith, who is white, moved into a camper at Lazy Cove Campground with her husband, Damien, who is Black, and their 8-year-old son—right next to their close friends, the Mills family.
But everything changed when Amanda Mills, Angela Smith’s best friend, received a phone call.
“Then about a month or so into it, she called my best friend, and she told her, ‘You betrayed me. Had I known that her husband was Black, I would have never rented to them,’” Angela Smith recalled.
The shocking call left the families speechless. It was something the Smith family had never experienced firsthand.
“Never, never anything like this. We have never had anyone say anything or not even so much as a look or a stare—nothing,” Angela said. When asked about her thoughts upon hearing such comments in 2020, Angela responded, “I just couldn’t believe it. Like, you hear so many stories of racism and things being said against other nationalities, and you always hear about that. But then there was still a part of me that I was just dumbfounded that someone could be so blatant and unapologetic about it and see absolutely no wrong in it.”
Both families were forced to leave the campground. They were pushed out in August 2020 after being unable to renew their lease.
“We are not going to have a choice but to get out of here, and how are we going to do that without losing all kinds of money?” Angela expressed.
The Virginia Attorney General’s Office and the Fair Housing Board sued Regina Turner, the owner of Lazy Cove Campground, for refusing to rent and two counts of discrimination. As a result, each family was awarded $100,000 for their losses. In addition, the jury granted $550,000 in punitive damages.
The Attorney General’s Office stated this is the largest fair housing jury verdict they have ever secured.
We reached out to Regina Turner’s attorney for comment but have not heard back. They are asking the judge to overturn the jury’s verdict and will be back in court on April 8.
Amanda Mills said, “My husband and I were discriminated against because we have a Black friend. That was NOT and will NEVER be okay with us. This has never been about us; it’s about the human race, love, and respect. While we are grateful for the integrity of the jury and their stand for justice, we just want to be part of the movement of change. God made each of us to love one another, and it’s as simple as that.”
Two families have been awarded $750,00 after a jury ruled that the owner of Lazy Cove Campground in Smith Mountain Lake discriminated against them because of the color of their skin.
A Franklin County jury has ordered the owner of Lazy Cove Campground, Regina Turner, to pay two couples for discrimination after she learned one camper was Black.
In June 2020, Amanda Mills and Angela Smith—two friends—organized a joint family camping trip to Lazy Cove Campground. Smith, a White woman, took her Black husband, Damien Smith, and their 8-year-old son to join Mills’ family for the getaway.
That’s when the trip that was meant to be a positive experience took a negative turn. As first reported by the Washington Post, Turner told Mills, “You didn’t tell me that your friend’s husband is Black,” according to a complaint that the Virginia Fair Housing Board filed.
She continued: “Had I known, I wouldn’t have rented the lot to them. I saw the son, but I figured everyone makes a mistake,” she said, as indicated in the complaint.
Court documents claim that Turner allegedly spoke with another campground tenant, stating that she planned on waiting until their lease ended rather than evicting them to avoid repercussions for her actions.
“I can’t make them move now because if I give both of them moving notices now, they could take my park from me. I’m smart, you know, and I’ve got to use my head,” according to court documents.
Consequently, the Virginia Attorney General’s Office and the Virginia Fair Housing Board filed a civil suit against Turner on one count of refusing to rent and two counts of discrimination, resulting in the families’ being awarded $100,000 each for their losses. An additional $550,000 was awarded in punitive damages.
Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Thursday that his Office of Civil Rights won a historic $750,000 jury verdict against the landlord, marking the largest fair housing jury verdict obtained by the office of the attorney general to date.
Miyares released the following statement about the landmark verdict:
Housing discrimination—and discrimination of any kind—will not be tolerated in Virginia, We are pleased by the jury’s verdict, and I’m immensely proud of my Civil Rights Unit. The people of Franklin County have spoken: Smith Mountain Lake is for everyone.
The defendant, Regina Turner, owner of Lazy Cove Campground on Smith Mountain Lake, had rented lots to families for decades. A couple had their camper on one of Turner’s lots and encouraged their friends—an interracial married couple with a young son—to lease a neighboring spot. The wife, who is white, successfully negotiated a lease with Turner. However, upon learning that the husband was black, Turner immediately took steps to evict both families, openly stating that she would not have rented to them had she known.
Both families courageously testified to the harm Turner’s conduct inflicted upon them. The jury took less than two hours to deliberate, ultimately awarding $100,000 to each couple for their losses, as well as the humiliation and emotional toll they endured. The jury awarded an additional $550,000 in punitive damages to punish Turner’s egregious actions and serve as a deterrent against future discrimination. Turner is now legally required to pay this judgment to the affected families.
Senior Assistant Attorney General Todd M. Shockley prosecuted this case with support from Assistant Attorneys General Joel B. Taubman, Brittany Sadler Berky, and Senior Assistant Attorney General and Civil Rights Unit Section Chief Christine Lambrou Johnson.
“It was like a sigh of relief, but at the same time, I’m still angry because we never should have had to go through this,” Damien Smith told the Post. “It was 2020 at the time, and somehow we’re still getting judged by the color of our skin versus the kind of person we are.”
As reported by the Post, Turner’s lawyer, Rocky Mount Mayor Holland Perdue, filed a motion to set aside the jury’s verdict, with Turner expected to appear in court on April 8.
Turner contended that the families were never evicted and noted that, while her late husband had refused to rent to Black people, the campground now welcomes ‘all kinds of people.’
According to NBC News, Turner claimed that she called Mills about Damien Smith because she felt ‘betrayed’ by not knowing he was Black.
