Justice Department Settles Sexual Harassment Case Against Kentucky Landlord for $150,000
On August 10, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a $150,000 settlement with Danny Bell, a landlord who owns and manages rental properties in Somerset, Kentucky. The agreement resolves a lawsuit claiming he sexually harassed female tenants in violation of the Fair Housing Act.
According to the Justice Department, Bell subjected female tenants to sexual harassment for more than a decade, including inside their own homes. The lawsuit alleges he offered to forgive rent in exchange for sexual contact, made unwanted sexual comments and advances, touched tenants without their consent, entered their homes without notice or permission, and threatened to evict those who refused him.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division said tenants should never have to choose between their safety and keeping a place to live. She emphasized that the department will continue holding landlords accountable when they use their power to harm vulnerable women. Officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky added that housing must never become a tool for exploitation and that the settlement sends a clear message against sexual harassment in rental housing.
Under the proposed consent order (which still needs court approval), Bell must pay $140,000 to the tenants who were harmed and a $10,000 civil penalty to the United States. The order also restricts the sale of his current rental properties, permanently bars him from managing any future residential rentals, prohibits him from contacting the victims, and requires training plus new policies to prevent similar discrimination.
This case is part of the Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative, launched in 2017. Since then, the department has filed 53 such lawsuits and recovered more than $19 million for victims.
Anyone who has experienced sexual harassment by a landlord or property manager—or other forms of housing discrimination—can call the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743 or submit a report online.
That should be as clear as a Bell ...
# # #
SOURCE: