- The United States federal government has sued Venkatchalam Mani, the owner of a rental property in Pennsylvania, alleging that he sexually harassed a female tenant and retaliated against her after she refused his advances.
- The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in the US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, seeks monetary damages for the tenant and her children, and a court order to bar future discrimination.
- According to the lawsuit, Mani made unwelcome sexual advances towards the tenant, including sexual touching.
- It alleges that after she rejected his advances, he failed to respond to her repeated maintenance requests, including repairs to a broken furnace in the middle of winter that later caught fire.
- "This conduct is illegal. The Justice Department will uphold the rights of female tenants to housing without the threat of sexual harassment by a landlord," said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K Dhillon.
- "Attempts to exploit tenants for sexual favours, sexual assault and retaliation by landlords will never be tolerated in the Middle District of Pennsylvania," said US Attorney Brian D Miller.
- The case reached the Justice Department after the Department of Housing and Urban Development received a complaint from the tenant, carried out an investigation and issued a charge of discrimination.
- After the tenant chose to have the matter decided in federal court, HUD referred the case to the Department of Justice.
The U.S. federal government has filed a lawsuit against Venkatchalam Mani, a landlord in Pennsylvania, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation against a female tenant.2
The lawsuit, submitted to the US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, claims that Mani made unwelcome sexual advances, including sexual touching, towards the tenant.3
After she rejected his advances, he allegedly neglected her repeated maintenance requests, including urgent repairs to a broken furnace during winter, which later caught fire.4
“This conduct is illegal. The Justice Department will uphold the rights of female tenants to housing without the threat of sexual harassment by a landlord,” stated Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K Dhillon.5
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages for the tenant and her children, along with a court order to prevent future discrimination.
“Attempts to exploit tenants for sexual favours, sexual assault and retaliation by landlords will never be tolerated in the Middle District of Pennsylvania,” emphasized US Attorney Brian D Miller.6
The case was referred to the Justice Department after the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) received a complaint from the tenant, conducted an investigation, and issued a charge of discrimination.7
Following the tenant's decision to pursue the matter in federal court, HUD referred the case to the Department of Justice.8
“The lawsuit seeks monetary damages for the tenant and her children, plus a court order barring future discrimination. It also alleges Mani ignored maintenance requests, including a broken furnace that caught fire in winter, after the tenant rejected his advances.”
