(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against Jimmie Bell, a landlord in Springfield, Missouri, for sexually harassing female tenants in violation of the Fair Housing Act (FHA). Bell has managed over 100 residential rental properties in and around Springfield.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, alleges that Bell subjected multiple female tenants to harassment that included making unwelcome sexual advances, offering to reduce rent or make needed repairs in exchange for engaging in sex acts, subjecting female tenants to unwelcome sexual touching and initiating eviction actions against female tenants who refused his sexual advances.
“No one should ever be subjected to sexual harassment and degradation simply to keep a roof over their head,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Sexual harassment in residential settings is uniquely abhorrent because one’s home should be a place of refuge. The Justice Department is committed to vigorously enforcing the Fair Housing Act’s protections against sexual harassment and holding landlords and housing providers accountable when they engage in this abhorrent conduct.”
“This Springfield landlord repeatedly took advantage of his tenants by using his position as leverage to egregiously violate their civil rights,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore for the Western District of Missouri. “Today’s lawsuit illustrates the determination of the Justice Department to protect victims of sexual harassment or other types of housing discrimination and to hold their abusers accountable.”
“This landlord’s sexual harassment is a gross violation of his position and of the Fair Housing Act,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Demetria McCain of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “People deserve to be safe in their homes.”
The matter was referred to the Justice Department after HUD received a complaint alleging that Bell had violated the FHA by sexually harassing a female tenant and retaliating against her when she rejected his sexual advances. Bell chose to have the matter decided in federal court after HUD investigated the complaint and issued a charge of discrimination. Upon receiving the referral, the Justice Department investigated further and identified additional female tenants whom Bell sexually harassed.
The department’s lawsuit seeks monetary damages to compensate persons harmed by the alleged harassment, a civil penalty to vindicate the public interest and a court order barring future discrimination. The lawsuit names Jimmie Bell as a defendant in his individual capacity and as trustee of Second Bell Trust, the owner of many of the properties Bell managed. The lawsuit also names as defendant Fourth Bell LLC, the owner of additional properties Bell managed.
Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of sexual harassment or other types of housing discrimination at rental properties owned or managed by Jimmie Bell, or who have other information that may be relevant to this case, may contact the Justice Department’s housing discrimination tip line at 1-833-591-0291. Dial “1” for English, “2” for sexual harassment cases, and “3” for the Jimmie Bell lawsuit mailbox. Individuals may also email the Justice Department at bell.lawsuit@usdoj.gov.
The Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative is led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country. The initiative 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 in October 2017, the department has filed 40 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered nearly $12 million for victims of such harassment.
The FHA prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.
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