JURY FINDS HIM LIABLE FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT
On May 20, 2024, a jury found PMC (51), of Lynn, Massachusetts -- the owner of a group of “residential sober homes,” operating under the “Steps to Solutions Inc.” banner -- liable (after a five-day trial) for sexual harassment violative of federal law (the Fair Housing Act).
PMC is alleged to have sexually harassed vulnerable residents by making “unwanted sexual comments,” and by conditioning the grant of rent reductions or forgiveness, extra privileges, and/or waiver of security deposits, if they engaged in “sex acts,” or provided “sexually explicit photographs.”
In a written statement, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, noted that, “Sexual harassment of tenants is abhorrent, and the department stands committed to holding housing providers accountable …. We commend the survivors who came forward to testify about the heinous conduct that they experienced. This verdict sends a message that there is no place in our society for landlords who abuse their position of power to prey on vulnerable people.”
While Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts added, “This defendant preyed on vulnerable women in recovery from addiction and forced them to choose between his sexual demands and keeping a roof over their heads. Housing is a fundamental need and every person has the right to feel safe and secure in their own home. No one should be denied housing because of their refusal to submit to unwanted sexual harassment and intimidation … This case should send a powerful message to all landlords that there are severe consequences to sexually exploiting tenants”
Would you call that the final solution?
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