Justice Department Secures Settlement in Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Green Bay Landlord
The Justice Department announced today that David Jones and D Jones Properties LLC have agreed to pay $50,000 to resolve a lawsuit alleging that Jones sexually harassed a female tenant in violation of the Fair Housing Act (FHA).
The Justice Department’s lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin on July 24, 2025. The complaint alleges that Jones—who manages multiple rental properties in Green Bay, Wisconsin—engaged in severe, pervasive, and unwelcome sexual harassment of a female tenant by, among other things, making unwelcome sexual comments, grabbing the tenant without her consent, entering the tenant’s home without her permission, and moving to evict her when she asserted her rights under the FHA.
“Women should never feel unsafe in their own homes,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will vigorously protect the rights of vulnerable tenants subjected to sexual harassment and hold housing providers accountable when they violate the law.”
“This settlement sends a clear message that sex discrimination in housing will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Brad D. Schimel for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. “No one should have to endure sexual harassment to keep a roof over their head.”
Under the settlement agreement, Jones and D Jones Properties must pay $50,000 to the tenant. The agreement also requires Jones to attend fair housing training and provides for a two-year monitoring period by the Justice Department.
The case was referred to the Division after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) received a complaint, completed an investigation, and issued a charge of discrimination.
“As the Trump Administration’s top fair housing official, I am committed to ending the scourge of sexual harassment in housing and obtaining compensatory justice for the victims who have had to endure it,” said Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Craig W. Trainor of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “This settlement makes clear that Secretary Turner’s HUD will aggressively pursue Fair Housing Act violators while ensuring women feel safe and secure in their homes.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nia Schmaltz for the Eastern District of Wisconsin handled the matter.
If you are a victim of sexual harassment by a landlord or property manager or have suffered other forms of housing discrimination, call the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743 or submit a report online to the Department of Justice or to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt. This settlement is part of the Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative. The initiative, which the Department launched in October 2017, 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, the department has filed 52 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered more than $19 million for victims of such harassment.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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