A federal judge last week issued a preliminary injunction blocking Oregon’s ban on so-called real estate “love letters” — the nickname for personal notes from prospective ho…
PORTLAND, Ore. — A federal judge last week issued a preliminary injunction blocking Oregon’s ban on so-called real estate “love letters” — the nickname for personal notes from prospective homebuyers to home sellers.
The conservative Pacific Legal Foundation filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court on behalf of the Bend-based Total Real Estate Group against Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and Real Estate Commissioner Steve Strode, alleging that forbidding the letters violated First Amendment rights. The judge’s injunction was a “major victory for free speech and economic opportunity,” said Daniel Ortner, an attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation, which says it defends “Americans from government overreach and abuse.”
The Oregon Real Estate Agency on its website said it will not enforce the law unless a further court order allows it to go into effect. Rosenblum’s office didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.