A Virginia resident is seeking more than $250,000 in damages after alleging that she faced race and gender discrimination during her attempt to secure a mortgage loan for her investment property. According to the initial complaint filed on April 17, 2026, in the United States District Court for the District of Virginia (Richmond Division), the lawsuit names Bank of America Corporation, Bank of America National Association, David M. Boyd, and Velox Valuations, LLC as defendants.
The suit was brought by Darchelle Braxton through her attorney Lucrecia P. Johnson of LPJ Legal, PLLC. The complaint outlines Braxton’s efforts to obtain a $100,000 loan from Bank of America for renovations on her residential investment property located at 1506 Court St., Richmond, Virginia. Despite owning the property outright and later being approved for a similar loan by another lender, Braxton alleges she encountered repeated delays, unprofessional conduct from bank employees, and an unduly low appraisal from the appraiser defendants.
According to the filing, Braxton describes herself as an African American woman who believed her strong equity position and creditworthiness would make her an ideal candidate for the loan. However, she reports that throughout several months in 2025 she was passed between four different white loan officers at Bank of America who repeatedly requested duplicate documentation and were largely unresponsive to her inquiries. She claims that one officer told her he was too busy to handle her application after instructing her to transfer ownership from an LLC to her own name; another left the company without notice or reassignment; others failed to provide secure methods for submitting sensitive documents or made dismissive comments about data security.
Braxton recounts instances where bank staff allegedly avoided interacting with her in person: “During one such visit, the agent told her that she did not have a phone to call Plaintiff…On another visit…he walked out to avoid speaking to her.” She states these experiences left her feeling “frustrated, singled out, and discriminated against,” especially compared with how white customers were treated at the same branch.
As part of the loan process, Bank of America required an official appraisal conducted by Velox Valuations through appraiser David M. Boyd on September 14, 2025. The resulting report valued Braxton’s property at approximately $135,000—a figure she describes as “shockingly low” given recent sales in the neighborhood. Less than a month later, Premier Appraisal Group valued the same property at about $208,000 without any significant changes having occurred.
The complaint highlights alleged errors in Boyd’s appraisal report: referencing an incorrect postal code (Marion County, Kentucky instead of Richmond), inconsistencies regarding property condition (peeling paint), limited comparable properties considered despite market evidence otherwise (“the appraiser appears to have cherry-picked and manipulated comparable homes”), and omission of rental income potential even though Braxton had tenants generating income from the property.
Braxton asserts that these actions—by both bank employees and appraisers—were motivated by unlawful bias based on race and gender: “The undervaluation…was influenced by conscious or unconscious racial bias.” She further claims that Bank of America relied on this flawed appraisal when it ultimately denied her mortgage application in October 2025. The stated reasons for denial included minor issues related to an auto loan under her business name (which she says were easily resolvable) and lack of immediate IRS tax transcripts due to a government shutdown.
Immediately following this denial from Bank of America, Braxton applied with Guild Mortgage Company—which approved a $105,000 loan on similar terms with minimal hassle—supporting her assertion that she met standard lending criteria. The complaint alleges: “Bank of America’s real motive…was not the proffered paperwork issues but intentional discrimination.”
Braxton brings multiple legal claims against all defendants including violations under federal statutes such as the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C §3601 et seq.), Equal Credit Opportunity Act (15 U.S.C §1691 et seq.), Civil Rights Act sections 1981 and 1982; as well as state law under Virginia Fair Housing Law (Va. Code §36-96.1 et seq.), negligence theories related both to lending practices and professional standards for appraisals; negligent hiring/retention; and breach of good faith/fair dealing.
She seeks compensatory and punitive damages totaling more than $250,000 plus costs and attorney’s fees across all counts: “Plaintiff respectfully requests Judgment in her favor against Defendants for $250,000.00 in compensatory and punitive damages…”
The case is represented by attorney Lucrecia P. Johnson (VA Bar No. 96310) from LPJ Legal PLLC under Case No. 3:26-cv-00331.
Source: 326cv00331_Braxton_v_Bank_of_America_Corporation_Complaint_Eastern_District_Virginia.pdf
