U.S. Department
of Justice
United States v. Price (W.D. Va.)
On September 29, 2020, the United States filed a complaint and a consent order in United States v. Price (W.D. Va.). The complaint alleges that Gary Price, the manager of residential rental properties in the Harrisonburg area of Virginia, sexually harassed female tenants and discriminated against tenants on the basis of race by, among other things, using racial slurs and excluding or attempting to exclude tenants’ guests on the basis of the guests’ race, in violation of the Fair Housing Act. The lawsuit further alleges that Alberta Lowery and GTP Investment Properties, LLC, the owner and successor-in-interest to the owner of properties at which both sex and race discrimination occurred, are vicariously liable for Price’s actions because he managed the properties on their behalf. The consent decree includes provisions for compensatory damages in the amount of $330,000 for aggrieved persons and a $5,000 civil penalty. It also includes injunctive provisions that prohibit Gary Price from being directly involved in the management of residential rental properties or contacting former, current, or prospective tenants, and require that Defendants refrain from future discrimination on the basis of sex and race, seek dismissal or vacatur of unlawful detainer and related actions they filed against aggrieved persons and expungement of related credit reports, retain an independent manager, obtain fair housing training, maintain records, and submit reports to the United States. The court entered the consent decree on October 2, 2020.
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