Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against, Ohio Landlords, Property Managers Thursday — Justice Department Secures $480,000 Settlement in Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Ohio Landlords and Property Managers | United States Justice Department.
announcement Justice Department Secures $480,000 Settlement in Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Ohio Landlords and Property Managers Thursday, December 18, 2025 Share Facebook X LinkedIn Email For Immediate Release Office of Public Affairs The Justice Department announced today that the owners and operators of rental properties in and around Athens County, Ohio have agreed to pay $480,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging that their former rental manager, Joseph Earl Lucas, sexually harassed female tenants and prospective tenants of rental properties for almost twenty years, in violation of the Fair Housing Act.“No one should
have to endure sexual harassment to keep a roof over his or her head,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. “This settlement underscores the Justice Department’s commitment to holding landlords and housing providers accountable for illegal harassment of their tenants.”“The provision of housing should not be conditioned on sexual favors or otherwise involve sexual harassment,” said U.S. “My Office will continue to enforce the Fair Housing Act against landlords and property managers who engage in such exploitive conduct.”“The defendants severe abuse of power victimized our most vulnerable community members for almost twenty
years and stripped them of their basic right to safety and dignity,” said Special Agent in Charge Shawn Rice of the U.S. HUD OIG will continue to work with the US Attorney’s Office to hold housing providers accountable for this type of horrible conduct.”The department’s lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio in August 2023, alleged that, from at least 2004 until at least 2023, Lucas, a former resident of Amesville, Ohio, subjected female tenants and applicants to severe and pervasive sexual harassment. The Department of Housing and Urban