The Civil Rights Division of the Maryland Attorney General’s office filed its first case Friday. It is against a landlord accused of sexually assaulting tenants.
When a person is harassed sexually at work, school or such places there are avenues for recourse. Victims can turn to human resources or a rape crisis advocate. But, “when it happens in the housing market, sexual harassment can often go unnoticed, ignored, or unreported,” said Candace Maclaren Lanham, a chief deputy who oversees the Civil Rights Division in the Maryland Attorney General’s office.
The division, established earlier this year, filed its first case Friday. Eric Sessoms, a landlord who rented units throughout the Eastern Shore is facing a lawsuit for allegedly sexually assaulting tenants. Government lawyers accuse Sessoms of Mount Vernon LLC, of targeting single women with children struggling to make ends meet and on the brink of homelessness. They say he rented units — often in substandard conditions— offering reduced rent in exchange for sex, a pattern constituting gender-based discrimination that violated tenants’ civil rights.
Jonathan Smith, Chief of the Civil Rights Division in the Attorney General’s Office, described findings from the investigation. “The reported harassment included suggesting that a renter perform a specific sex act with him,” said Smith. “He proposed that another renter have a sexual encounter with Sessoms and his girlfriend, and persistently requested tenants to exchange rent for sex, date, hug and kiss him. He also entered renters homes without invitation unrelated to repairs or other legitimate purposes.”
Vicki Schultz, Executive Director of Maryland Legal Aid (MLA), the state's largest provider of free civil legal services, brought the case to Smith. Schulz stated that the women sought MLA’s help where they won “lucrative settlements” for the mistreatment they suffered. Concerned about retaliation and preventing similar experiences for others, she contacted the attorney general’s office seeking peace of mind for the tenants.
“We're working together to address the unique civil rights needs of Maryland's too often forgotten rural populations,” said Schultz. “Every person deserves to be treated fairly and with dignity and justice regardless of their economic circumstances. However, even in one of the richest states in the country, we fall short, especially for Marylanders with low incomes and those who live in communities of color. They do not enjoy equal access to justice.”
Attorney General Anthony Brown said the case should serve as a warning to other landlords throughout the state. “You cannot sexually harass your tenants,” he warned. “You cannot demand sex for rent, and you cannot retaliate against tenants who rebuff your unwanted advances.”
Brown said that five brave women have already come forward and encouraged others with information to step forward as well. To report Sessoms, you can call the Civil Rights Division hotline at 1-833-282-2977 or email [email protected].
