AGREE TO PAY $500,000 TO 13 FEMALE TENANTS
In early February, the United States Department of Justice announced that it had settled sexual harassment claims that had been brought and two Wisconsin property owners – who held over 100 residential units in the Janesville, Wisconsin, area.
One of the male owners, over the course of some two decades, is said to have sexually harassed some thirteen female tenants. He alleged engaged, among other things, in unwanted touching, he demanded sexual favors (in exchange for rent or housing) and took retaliatory action against those that resisted.
In addition to the monetary damages, the couple must pay $123,965 civil penalty, and must refrain from managing residential properties in the future. They are also required to vacate any retaliatory eviction judgments they secured and must correct the impacted tenants’ credit histories.
In a written statement, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, noted that “A home should be one’s sanctuary, not a place where you are subjected to dehumanizing and prolonged periods of sexual harassment …. When landlords sexually harass their tenants, they deprive them of the ability to feel safe and secure in their own homes. This agreement sends a strong message that the Justice Department will continue to enforce federal civil rights laws to ensure all tenants are protected from unlawful discrimination.”
How’s that for retaliatory?
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