An Ohio landlord has agreed to pay $199,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging he sexually harassed female tenants for more than a decade, in many cases threatening to evict tenants who refused his advances, the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday.
The Justice Department lawsuit alleged Joseph Pedaline and YLP LLC, which owned and managed residential rental properties in Youngstown, Ohio, violated the Fair Housing Act when Pedaline sexually harassed female tenants from at least 2009 to at least 2020.
According to the lawsuit, Pedaline allegedly subjected multiple female tenants to unwelcome sexual comments, entered the homes of female tenants without their consent, touched female tenants without their consent, offered to excuse late or unpaid rent in exchange for sexual acts, and took adverse housing-related actions, such as eviction, against female tenants who refused his sexual advances.
The lawsuit alleged that YLP LLC was liable for Pedaline's actions while it owned and managed the rental properties.
Under the consent decree entered by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Pedaline and YLP LLC must pay $189,000 to the victims plus a $10,000 civil penalty. Pedaline and YLP LLC are also required to "take steps to vacate any adverse judgments and repair the credit of tenants who were evicted after refusing Pedaline's advances."
Pedaline is permanently barred from managing residential rental properties, while YLP LLC is required to implement Fair Housing Act training and to report compliance with the terms of the consent decree.
"This consent decree bars Pedaline from ever again having the ability to rent property to others, and thus prevents him from ever again subjecting Ohio tenants to sexual harassment and discrimination in return for a place to live," U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio said in a statement. "This resolution should serve as a strong reminder to all landlords that they must comply with all aspects of the Fair Housing Act and may not engage in discriminatory behavior that violates the security, safety and wellbeing of their tenants."
--with reporting by TMX
