The Justice Department announced on Wednesday it has reached a financial settlement concerning accusations of sexual harassment against a Kentucky couple who managed a rental property.
Gus and Penny Crank are ordered to pay $48,000 in damages to four female tenants and a $2,000 civil penalty to the United States, the department announced. The Cranks are also prohibited from being involved in property management of rental units, the Wednesday statement added.
Gus Crank was the manager of property owned by his wife, Penny, in Dayton, Kentucky, where he allegedly sexually harassed female tenants of the property over a 10-year period. During this time, he allegedly offered discounts on rent in exchange for sex and made unannounced visits to female tenants’ homes.
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The couple was accused of violating the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, and familial status.
“Sexual harassment in housing deprives its victims of the safety and security that their home is supposed to provide,” acting U.S. Attorney Carlton Shier said in the announcement. “That makes our convincing enforcement of the Fair Housing Act critical to ensuring that victims can gain relief from this disgraceful conduct and seek a safe and secure home for their families.”
The case was jointly litigated by attorneys in the Civil Rights Division, which is in charge of the Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky, the department said.
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The Justice Department initiative works to address sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, and other people who have control over housing. Since its creation in October 2017, the initiative has recovered $4 million for harassment victims.
