Legal Question in Sexual Harassment in Massachusetts
Sexual harrassment by landlord
hi,
i work with someone through work whose landlord touched himself in front of her while asking her to pleasure him. she is distraught and does not have many housing options, but is afraid to stay in her apartment. if she doesn't have a lot of money for a lawyer, what are her options?
thank you for any help you can offer.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Sexual harrassment by landlord
Your friend has a variety of low cost options. She can file a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination for free. Depending on what her landlord did when he touched himself in front of her, she may be able to apply for a criminal complaint against him for free by reporting the matter to the police and by applying for a complaint in the district court for "lewd and lascivious conduct" and "accosting a person of the opposite sex." She may have a right to withhold rent due to the landlords breach of her "covenant of quiet use and enjoyment" implied in every lease or tenancy, as well as for violation of G.L. ch. 186, sec. 14, which guarantees a person's right to peacefully use and enjoy their premises. If the landlord's actions are part of a course of conduct and there is corroboration of your friend's claims, she may be able to find a lawyer who will bring a claim against the landlord on a contingency fee basis.
Most lawyers will give an initial consultation at no or low cost.
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