Cincinnati Landlord To Tussle With DOJ In Fair Housing Suit Over Charges Of Sexual Harrasment Of Female Tenants

From the U.S. Department of Justice:

• The Justice Department [] filed a lawsuit against Cincinnati landlord Henry E. Bailey alleging that Bailey sexually harassed female tenants at residential properties he has owned and managed in the Cincinnati metropolitan area.

• The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, alleges that Bailey violated the Fair Housing Act by subjecting female tenants and prospective tenants to unwanted verbal sexual advances and unwanted sexual touching; entering the apartments of female tenants without permission and notice; granting and denying tangible housing benefits based on sex; and taking adverse actions against female tenants when they refused his sexual advances.

• "Every individual has the right under federal law to rent housing without being subjected to sexual harassment," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "Landlords who abuse their power and authority in this way should be on notice that the Justice Department steadfastly enforces the Fair Housing Act throughout the United States."

• "A person’s home should provide a place of comfort and safety," said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Carter M. Stewart. "We must safeguard those values by investigating and prosecuting any person or group that seeks to interfere with them." The suit seeks monetary damages for victims of the alleged harassment, civil penalties and a court order barring future discrimination and requiring additional preventive measures.

For the DOJ press release, see Justice Department Sues Cincinnati Landlord for Sexual Harassment.