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Table of Contents

Oklahoma City Landlords Settles Sexual Harassment Case for $1.25M

Two Oklahoma City landlords have agreed to a $1.25 million settlement in a federal lawsuit alleging they allowed their agent to sexually harass female tenants and prospective tenants over nearly two decades.

The settlement, approved by the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, resolves a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma against Rosemarie Pelfrey, Omega Enterprises LLC, and Pelfrey Investment Company Inc. The defendants will pay $1.2 million in damages to female tenants and prospective tenants harmed by Pelfrey’s harassment and a $50,000 civil penalty to the United States.

According to the lawsuit, Walter Ray Pelfrey, the agent who worked on behalf of the defendants, subjected female tenants and prospective tenants to a range of unwanted and harassing behavior, including demanding sexual acts in exchange for housing, making unwelcome sexual advances and comments, and physically touching tenants without their consent.

‘This settlement, which came after protracted litigation, sends a clear message that the Justice Department will not tolerate sexual harassment,’ said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division. ‘No one should ever have to endure what the women in this case were subjected to.’

Acting U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester for the Western District of Oklahoma added, ‘For nearly 20 years, more than 40 female tenants and prospective tenants endured abhorrent sexual harassment when all they wanted was a safe place to call home.’

As part of the settlement, the defendants must provide Fair Housing Act training for their employees, provide a complaint procedure to tenants, and release judgments obtained against victims whom Pelfrey wrongfully evicted.

The settlement marks the latest victory in the Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative, which has filed 21 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered over $3.8 million for victims of such harassment since its launch in October 2017.

The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, and familial status. Individuals may report sexual harassment or other forms of housing discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at [1-800-896-7743].