Justice Department Secures $325,000 Settlement in Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Iowa Landlord and Property Manager

Department of Justice - Press Release

Friday, January 9, 2026

Note: View settlement here. The quote has also been update slightly.

The Justice Department announced today that the owner and property manager of residential rental properties in Davenport, Iowa, have agreed to pay $325,000 to resolve a lawsuit alleging that the property manager sexually harassed female tenants in violation of the Fair Housing Act.

The Department’s lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa in January 2025, alleges that for more than two decades, property manager Kurt Williams sexually harassed female tenants at various rental dwellings throughout Davenport. The suit alleges that Williams’ conduct included making unwelcome sexual comments and sexual advances to female tenants, exposing his genitals to female tenants, requesting sex or sex acts from female tenants in exchange for tangible housing benefits like reductions in rent, and taking adverse housing actions, such as initiating evictions or refusing to make repairs, against female tenants who objected to or refused his sexual advances.

See full news release:

Source: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-secures-325000-settlement-sexual-harassment-lawsuit-against-iowa-landlord