Federal officials have sued the owners of a number of residential rental properties in or around Oklahoma City, alleging that subjected female tenants in and applicants for those properties were subject to sexual harassment, coercion, intimidation and threats.
The complaint filed by the Justice Department names four defendants: the Executor of the Estate of Walter Ray Pelfrey; Rosemarie Pelfrey, as Trustee of the W. Ray Pelfrey Revocable Trust and the Rosemarie Pelfrey Revocable Trust; Omega Enterprises LLC; and Pelfrey Investment Company LLC.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Westert Walter Ray Pelfrey sexually harassed female tenants and applicants of rental properties from at least 2001 through 2017.
According to the complaint, he engaged in harassment that included, among other things, making unwelcome sexual advances and comments, engaging in unwanted sexual touching, demanding or pressuring female applicants to engage in sexual acts to obtain rental housing, offering to reduce rent and overlooking or excusing late or unpaid rent in exchange for sex, evicting or threatening to evict female tenants who objected to or refused sexual advances, and entering the homes of female tenants without their consent.
The lawsuit further alleges that, upon the death of Walter Ray Pelfrey on July 15, the Estate of Walter Ray Pelfrey assumed liability for discriminatory housing practices.
In addition, the lawsuit alleges that Rosemarie Pelfrey in her role as trustee, Omega Enterprises LLC, and Pelfrey Investment Company LLC are liable under the Fair Housing Act because Walter Ray Pelfrey managed the rental properties on their behalf when he engaged in the harassment, coercion, intimidation and threats.
“Female tenants should not be subjected to illegal harassment and demands for sex,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore in a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma.
The current lawsuit seeks monetary damages to compensate the victims, civil penalties and a court order barring future discrimination. The complaint contains allegations of unlawful conduct, which must be proven in federal court.
In October 2017, the Justice Department launched an initiative to combat sexual harassment in housing. In April 2018, the department announced the nationwide rollout of the initiative, including three major components: a new joint Task Force with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to combat sexual harassment in housing, an outreach toolkit to leverage the Department’s nationwide network of U.S. Attorney’s Offices, and a public awareness campaign, including the launch of a national Public Service Announcement.
Since launching the initiative, the Justice Department has filed six lawsuits alleging a pattern or practice of sexual harassment in housing – more than it has filed in any previous fiscal year. The Justice Department has filed or settled 11 sexual harassment cases since January 2017 and has recovered over $1.6 million for victims of sexual harassment in housing.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma
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