HE MADE UNWANTED COMMENTS, TOUCHED THEIR BODIES, ENTERED THEIR HOMES ….
In late April, the United States Department of Justice announced that it had reached a settlement with a Savannah, Georgia landlord – who owned some 45 residential properties.
Over the course of some 15 years, I.S. allegedly harassed female tenants “by making repeated and unwelcome sexual comments and advances, inappropriately touching their bodies without their permission, entering their homes without their permission or knowledge, requesting sexual acts from them in exchange for rent or other housing-related benefits and taking retaliatory actions against female tenants who rejected his sexual advances or complained about the harassment.”
In addition to paying some $590,000 to impacted tenants, along with a civil penalty to the government, I.S. has agreed to stop managing his properties and must retain independent management.
In a written statement, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, noted that ““No female tenant should have to endure sexual harassment and abuse in the sanctity of her own home …. This settlement should send a clear message to housing providers and property owners: when you exploit your power and sexually harass and abuse tenants, the Justice Department will aggressively use federal civil rights laws to hold you accountable. As we mark National Fair Housing Month, we want survivors of these heinous acts to know that we stand with them and we encourage them to speak out and report complaints of unlawful sexual harassment.”
Think he was a low-rent kind of guy?
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