HIV-Positive Man Wasn’t Thrilled When Arkansas Retirement Home Kicked Him Out

The Rev. Dr. Robert Franke — who should add some initials to the end of his name, because he’s seriously lacking in credentials — was kicked out of an Arkansas assisted living facility after it realized he’s HIV-positive. Guess who sued and scored? As August’s trial approached, seems a certain somebody was all interested in discussing settlement options: “Lambda Legal announced today it has settled its lawsuit on behalf of an HIV-positive retired university provost and former minister against Fox Ridge, a North Little Rock assisted living facility. The Reverend Dr. Robert Franke relocated to Little Rock to be closer to his daughter, Sara Franke Bowling, and moved in to Fox Ridge after fulfilling residency requirements that included submission of medical evaluation forms from a local physician. The next day, however – after realizing Dr. Franke is HIV-positive – Fox Ridge officials abruptly ejected Dr. Franke from the facility. With the assistance of Lambda Legal, Franke and Bowling sued under the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and similar state laws. ‘While we can’t discuss the specific terms of the settlement, I can say we’re quite pleased to have settled this matter,’ said Dr. Franke. ‘We firmly believe that as a result of our having brought this lawsuit, retired people in Arkansas who have HIV are less likely to face this kind of discrimination in the future.'”