The Housing Authority of Baltimore City reached a settlement Monday in a lawsuit that accused maintenance workers of asking for sex in exchange of basic repair services.
According to a report by ABC News, Baltimore housing chief Paul T. Graziano and the lawyer who represented the 19 women affected confirmed that they have agreed on an undisclosed amount, after talks were held from December 18 to December 23. The settlement needs to be approved by the court, as well as the US Department of Housing.
According to the women's lawyer Cary J. Hansel, the workers involved in the case were fired by the housing authority, which came up with a new work order tracking system. Fifty new workers were hired.
The Star Democrat wrote that the women refused to have sex and declined to have the basic repairs done in their public housing units. There is an ongoing criminal investigation on the issue, according to Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office spokeswoman Rochelle Ritchie.
Baltimore Sun reported that the tenants, who wanted $10 million each from the case, that some maintenance workers from Gilmor Homes, Govans Manor and Westport sexually harassed them for the past few years. They claimed that their constitutional rights were taken away from them, as they lived for long periods of time with gas leaks, no heat, and even roach infestations.
The suit was initially filed September, but was amended in November to add more plaintiff and turn it into a class-action status. Through a class-action suite, a notice can be given to all individuals affected by the case. The plaintiff and the defendants determine who is affected by the case in a class-action suit. It constitutes plenty of paperwork and interviews.
Maryland Communities United's Perry Hopkins said it is about time that the housing authority takes responsibility for the people in Baltimore public housing complexes living under bad conditions.
