Legal Question in Sexual Harassment in Massachusetts
Sexual Harassment by Landlord
I am a tenant at will and for the past 6 months my landlord has been making remarks like I wish my wife would dress like you and do her hair and make up like you and your such a nice girl and can't belive that your single and touching me inappropriately,I tell him to stop and he apologizes later on for his behavior,but 1 month ago he told me that he was watching me through my window when my boyfriend was over and gave me all the details of what he saw and then whispered in my ear ''your my kind of girl'' as he backed me up against my counter and I shoved him off. This is a complex situation because i get along with his wife and daughters very well. Myself and the couple who own the house are all the same age-late thirties.
I am on permanent disability for severe anxiety and depression,so you can imagine how this is affecting me. My therapist told me that i could own the house if I filed a suit. This is an Illegal apartment as well.
What is your opinion? Should I file a claim? I am currently looking for another apartment because I am completely uncomfortable here and have no intentions of paying the last months rent,but they don't know that yet because I am still looking for a place.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Sexual Harassment by Landlord
It sounds like you are in a very difficult situation.
If you are unable to afford the services of an attorney at this point, I would recommend contacting Boston's Victim Rights Law Center (www.victimrights.org).
You should give them a call and ask for attorney Kate Lawson at extension 20. The Victim Rights Law Center helps those people who face employment, housing, and other issues because of sexual assault and violence.
If you would like to hire an attorney, you can also feel free to contact me directly. I am in North Quincy.
Re: Sexual Harassment by Landlord
Upon request, I can mail you a copy of my newsletter, Discrimination Law Report, discussing sexual harassment law. Your case involves two complex areas of the law, landlord-tenant law and equal housing law. In Massachusetts, we have strong laws that protect the rights of people to be free from sexual harassment and illegal actions by landlords. I would need to find out more about your goals and your case before I could say whether you should file a claim or if you might want to recover compensation through rent withholding. I would want to know if there are any other witnesses to your landlord's harassment of you and if he has engaged in sexual harassment of other tenants, possibly a prior tenant. This type of corroboration can be helpful in proving sexual harassment cases.
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