Justice Department Secures $150,000 Settlement in Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Kentucky Landlord

The Justice Department announced today that Danny Bell, the owner and manager of residential rental properties in Somerset, Kentucky, agreed to pay $150,000 to resolve a lawsuit alleging that he sexually harassed female tenants in violation of the Fair Housing Act.

"Tenants should not be forced to choose between safety and keeping a roof over their heads," said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "This case involved a landlord's sexual harassment of female tenants, including threats to evict tenants who refused his advances. The Justice Department will continue to hold landlords accountable for using their power to violate the rights of vulnerable women."

"Housing should never be used as a tool to exploit vulnerable people in our community," said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Parman for the Eastern District of Kentucky. "This settlement sends a clear message that our office will not tolerate sexual harassment in housing and will vigorously protect the rights of tenants to feel safe in their homes."

The Justice Department's lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky in April 2023, alleges that Bell sexually harassed female tenants for over a decade, including in their homes. The suit alleges that Bell offered to forgive rent in exchange for sexual contact, subjected tenants to unwelcome sexual touching, made unwelcome sexual comments and sexual advances, let himself into female tenants' homes without notice or permission, and threatened to evict tenants who refused his demands.

Pursuant to the proposed consent order, which still must be entered by the court, the defendant must pay $140,000 to tenants who were harmed by his harassment and a $10,000 civil penalty to the United States. The consent order governs the sale of Bell's current residential rental properties, and bars Bell from managing any future residential rental properties and from contacting tenants harmed by his harassment. It also mandates training and the adoption of policies and procedures to prevent future discrimination in his rental properties.

If you are a victim of sexual harassment by another landlord or property manager or have suffered other forms of housing discrimination, call the Justice Department's Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743 or submit a report online. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt. This settlement is part of the Justice Department's Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative. The initiative, which the department launched in October 2017, seeks to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers and other people who have control over housing. Since launching the initiative, the department has filed 53 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered over $19 million for victims of such harassment.