The Justice Department settled a Fair Housing Act lawsuit that alleged a California landlord had sexually harassed female tenants for nearly two years.
The consent order entered by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California said the landlord, Larry Nelson, was accused of making unwelcome sexual advances and explicit comments to female tenants, touching women without their consent, exposing himself, peeping through windows, and making unannounced visits. He was also accused of threatening to evict female tenants who did not go along with his advances.
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The agreement, announced Thursday, ordered Nelson to pay $580,000, though $350,000 of it was suspended based on disclosure statements showing his financial status. Of that, $555,000 goes to the alleged victims while the rest, $25,000, is a civil penalty payable to the United States.
The United States filed suit June 11, 2019, to enforce Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. In December of that year, Sylena Sanders filed a complaint of intervention alleging violations of the Fair Housing Act. Thirteen women were described as “aggrieved.”
“People deserve to be safe in their homes,” said Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, in a statement. “Sexual harassment in housing deprives them of that security. The Justice Department will not tolerate landlords who abuse their power by sexually harassing their tenants and will continue vigorously to pursue allegations of sexual harassment.”
Nelson maintained his innocence per the terms of the settlement, though the department said its allegations are “well-founded.” The court did not determine his guilt or innocence.
The deal also disallowed him from being involved in the property management aspect of his job as landlord, and he has to hire an independent professional property manager.
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“Abusive landlords in San Diego and Imperial counties should be on notice that protecting the civil rights of citizens in our district is a top priority, and we do not tolerate discrimination and harassment in housing,” said acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California. “Holding a key to someone’s property is a position of trust, not a license to engage in illegal sexual harassment and sexual demands.”
