U.S. Department
of Justice
United States v. Prashad (D. Mass.)
On December 2, 2021, the court entered a consent order in United States v. Prashad (D. Mass.). The complaint, filed on September 9, 2019, alleges that Defendants Mohan Prashad, David Besaw, Lanaton, LLC, and Savton, LLC engaged in a pattern or practice of sexual harassment of female tenants in violation of the Fair Housing Act. Specifically, the complaint alleges that Defendant Prashad sexually harassed female tenants of rental properties he owned or managed, and that Defendant Besaw, who was employed by Prashad to assist with the management and maintenance of his rental properties, also sexually harassed and assaulted female tenants. The complaint also alleges that Prashad received notice of Besaw’s harassment but failed to take action to prevent it, and that he retaliated against one female tenant by filing an eviction action against her after she complained to him about Besaw’s harassment. The consent order requires Defendants to pay $65,000 to compensate individuals harmed by the harassment and a $10,000 civil penalty to the United States, vacate a judgment that defendants had obtained against a former tenant in housing court, and implement a sexual harassment policy and complaint procedure. It also requires that responsibility for management of Prashad’s rental properties be turned over to one or more individuals approved by the United States and prohibits Prashad and Besaw from participating in property management responsibilities at any residential rental properties.
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