U.S. attorneys throughout the country are investigating potential housing-related cases of sexual harassment as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman, whose office serves all of northern Ohio, said May marked the second month for many people of paying rent under the current orders from the Ohio Department of Health. With unemployment claims skyrocketing and many families unable to pay rent, the concern is that some landlords might try to take advantage of the situation and ask for sexual favors in exchange for allowing late rent payments or fixing maintenance issues, Mr. Herdman said.
“It’s important while we’re all dealing with this pandemic ... that we remain vigilant to potential threats that aren’t the virus itself,” Mr. Herdman said.
Mr. Herdman mentioned the recent sexual harassment case involving Toledo landlord Anthony Hubbard as an example of what the justice department can accomplish if complaints are reported.
The lawsuit against Mr. Hubbard, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, alleges that from at least 2007 to December he sexually harassed female tenants of rental properties that he either owned or co-owned with three other defendants — his brother Jeffery Hubbard, his mother Ann Hubbard, and Pay Up, LLC.
That case is pending in district court.
Sarah Jenkins, director of public policy and community engagement with the Toledo Fair Housing Center, said sexual harassment is just one of the issues that housing officials are concerned about during the pandemic. Another issue is discrimination, particularly against people who are Asian or people who have had coronavirus or who may be exposed to it, such as health care workers.
“A person’s COVID-19 status could not be used to deny them housing or evict them,” she said.
The Fair Housing Center has had a high volume of calls lately related to landlord-tenant disputes, including landlords changing locks or removing tenants’ belongings and illegal evictions, Ms. Jenkins said. It’s possible that some of those calls are related to the pandemic.
With job losses and the loss of income, some residents’ housing might be in a precarious situation. At the same time with the current stay-at-home order, housing matters so much more than usual, Ms. Jenkins said.
“Now, more than ever, it’s really important that people have a safe place to stay,” she said.
It’s important, too, that tenants know their rights, she said. Landlords asking for sexual favors in exchange for rent allowances is illegal even if the tenant complies, Ms. Jenkins said. And even though housing court is not currently holding eviction hearings, landlords still aren’t allowed to improperly evict tenants.
“People can sometimes be afraid or ashamed to report a case of housing discrimination,” she said.
Often, someone who is the victim of discrimination will decide they don’t want to live in a place they aren’t welcome, Ms. Jenkins said, but she emphasized the importance of thinking about the other potential victims if a discrimination case goes unreported.
“If a landlord is doing this to you, they’re probably doing this to other people,” she said.
Ms. Jenkins encouraged any victims of discrimination or harassment to get in touch with the Fair Housing Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating housing discrimination.
Anyone who has experienced sexual harassment in housing or knows someone who has is asked to contact the Civil Rights Division by calling 844-380-6178 or emailing fairhousing@usdoj.gov. Mr. Herdman advised anyone who files a complaint to include their city or nearest U.S. attorney’s office to ensure it gets to the right place.
First Published May 4, 2020, 8:55 p.m.
