Bloomfield, Missouri — The U.S. Department of Justice has initiated a federal lawsuit against Eddie Joe Hankins, the former executive director of the Housing Authority of the City of Bloomfield, along with the Housing Authority itself. The lawsuit claims that they engaged in sexual harassment towards a female housing applicant, which is a violation of the Fair Housing Act.
The complaint was submitted on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. It accuses Hankins of exploiting his official role to solicit sexual favors from a woman who applied for housing in 2021 while she was living with her three children.
As stated in the lawsuit, after the applicant’s initial request for housing was denied, she approached Hankins for help. The DOJ alleges that Hankins reacted by making unwanted sexual advances, making inappropriate comments about her looks, and suggesting that she could secure housing for her family if she complied with his demands. When the applicant refused, Hankins purportedly declined to assist her in obtaining housing.
“There is no place in America for public officials who abuse their trust to coerce sexual acts from the people they are duty-bound to help,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We will hold them accountable.”
The lawsuit also holds the Housing Authority of Bloomfield vicariously liable for Hankins’ alleged conduct during his tenure as executive director from 2019 through 2022. The DOJ is seeking monetary damages for the woman and a court order to prevent future discrimination by the Housing Authority or its representatives.
Anyone who has experienced sexual harassment or discrimination in housing is encouraged to call the DOJ’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743 or submit a report online at www.justice.gov/crt
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