Lesbians Outed by
Real Estate Firm Settle Out of Court

Lesbian couple Suzanne Richards and Sarah Dobinson were publicly outed in an advertisement on their real estate firm's website, London's Daily Mail reported Tuesday. According to the Mail, the couple had signed on to the website to see how their home, recently put up for sale, was being marketed when they noticed the word lesbians in place of a reference number.

After contacting real estate firm Jackson-Stops & Staff, the couple received a letter reading, "We fail to see how we have discriminated against you."

"Publicly linking our home address with our sexuality could have ruined our lives," Richards told the Mail. "We were both shaking with disbelief and in tears when we read the property reference. We felt so violated."

After threatening to sue, Richards and Dobinson received an out-of-court settlement of PS5,000 (approximately $9,970). According to the Mail, the firm and its employees will also be undergoing diversity training. (The Advocate)