U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider held a town hall meeting with housing officials on the campus of Wayne State University Tuesday. He wanted to get the message out about the sexual harassment of renters by their landlords, maintenance people, and more. Schneider told Michigan News Network more.
“We need to get this message out to the victims of sexual harassment in housing,” Schneider said. “You don’t need to be a victim. If somebody is treating you unfairly in exchange for having your rent paid or having a roof over your head, we’d like to know about that so we can take legal action against the landlord.”
The Department of Justice has filed eight cases so far in just over a year for housing-related sexual harassment. It’s also recovered more than $1.5 million in damages for victims.