February 23, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
media@aclu.org MONTGOMERY, AL –
The American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama today hailed a preliminary
injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Keith Watkins against Jamarlo
GumBayTay, an agent of Elite Real Estate Consulting Group, ordering him to cease
the sexual harassment of a renter and stop any and all actions to evict
her.
“Too often landlords and rental agents try to exploit
low-income women who have few affordable rental options by demanding sex as a
condition of housing,” said Allison Neal, a staff attorney with the ACLU of
Alabama. “Lawsuits like this one send the message that this form of exploitation
is never acceptable.”
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a woman
threatened with eviction for refusing the sexual advances of GumBayTay.
According to legal papers, GumBayTay repeatedly tried to coerce the plaintiff
into having sex with him and threatened to evict her when she refused. The
tenant has also said that GumBayTay raised her rent because she refused to have
sex with him.
The ACLU lawsuit charges that these practices violate
the federal Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing based on
race, color, national origin, sex, religion, familial status and
disability. The lawsuit asks that the court order GumBayTay to stop
harassing the plaintiff, to cease from initiating any eviction action against
her, and to pay compensatory and punitive damages.
“By exposing
illegal sexual discrimination in cases like these, we hope more women are
encouraged to come forward and assert their rights,” said Kenneth Lay, housing
advocacy director for Legal Services Alabama, which filed the initial
lawsuit. “This also puts property owners on notice that they are
responsible for the discriminatory acts of their
managers.”
