ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis landlord agreed to pay more than $100,000 to resolve a lawsuit that alleged he sexually harassed multiple female tenants.
Nedzad Ukejnovic will be required to pay $85,000 to "individuals harmed by the harassment" and $20,000 to the St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Council, which helped victims pursue the case, a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice said.
According to the press release, the 2022 lawsuit accused Ukejnovic of demanding sex from tenants in exchange for rent or security deposit reductions. U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri said the agreement provides additional protection for the victims.
"This agreement not only provides for monetary compensation, but it also prohibits him from contacting these tenants, bars him from his properties when a lease is in effect and requires him to hire an independent property manager to prevent further violations of the civil rights laws," she said in the press release. "All of these are measures that will help protect current and future tenants.”
The lawsuit said Ukejnovic also harassed female tenants by requesting sexually explicit photos from them, staring at their bodies in a sexual way, subjecting them to unwelcome sexual touching and visiting and entering their homes for no legitimate purpose.
The agreement was approved by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
The case was referred to the Justice Department after the Department of Housing and Urban Development received multiple complaints alleging Ukejnovic had violated the Fair Housing Act. The case was then taken up by the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and coordinated with the local U.S. Attorney's Office.
Individuals may report sexual harassment or other forms of housing discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-833-591-0291 or submitting a report online. Individuals may also report such discrimination by contacting HUD at 1-800-669-9777 or by filing a complaint online.
