U.S. Department
of Justice
United States v. Whitescarver (W.D. Ky.)
On December 13, 2021, the court entered a consent order in United States v. Whitescarver (W.D. Ky.). The complaint, filed on April 1, 2020, alleged that Gordon Whitescarver subjected multiple female tenants to sexual harassment and retaliation. According to the complaint, he made repeated and unwelcome sexual comments, entered the homes of female tenants without their consent, touched female tenants without their consent, requested sexual acts, offered reduced rent or free rent in exchange for sexual acts, and took adverse housing-related action against female tenants who refused his sexual advances. The complaint also alleged that Betsy Whitescaver, Gordon Whitescarver’s wife, threatened and retaliated against women who complained about her husband’s harassment. The consent order requires the Whitescarvers to pay $220,000 to 11 women who are current or former tenants who were harmed by the Whitescarvers’ discriminatory conduct and pay a $10,000 civil penalty to the United States. The Whitescarvers must also take steps to dismiss any pending eviction actions against the victim, vacate any adverse judgments they obtained against the victims, and repair the credit of any affected victim. The consent decree also permanently bars the Whitescarvers from engaging in property management and mandates Fair Housing Act training and reporting to the United States.
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