From staff reports
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said Tuesday it is charging the husband-and-wife owners of apartments in Oil City with sexual harassment and retaliation against a woman who lived in one of their units.
The charges by HUD allege that Allen Woodcock groped and tried to forcibly kiss the woman when he was in her apartment to perform electrical repairs, according to a press release from HUD.
The charges further allege that Woodcock and his wife, Heidi, retaliated against the woman and her infant daughter after she told Heidi Woodcock about Allen Woodcock’s alleged harassment. The Woodcocks sought to evict the woman from her apartment, and the woman eventually moved out, the press release said.
The court papers say the woman began renting the property from the Woodcocks between November 2017 and January 2018.
The Oil City Housing Authority issued the woman a housing choice voucher in April 2019 that she intended to use to continue renting at the property where she lived, and she provided the voucher paperwork to Heidi Woodcock to be filled out, according to the court papers.
Allen Woodcock came to the property a few days later to perform the electrical repairs and bring the voucher paperwork for the woman’s signature, the court papers say. The woman was in the apartment with her daughter, and as she reviewed the paperwork, Allen Woodcock came up behind her and made unwanted sexual advances, according to the papers.
About a week later, the woman told Heidi Woodcock about Allen Woodcock’s actions, and a three-way telephone conversation was initiated between the Woodcocks and the woman, the court papers say. Allen Woodcock used expletives to deny the woman’s accusations, and Heidi Woodcock texted the woman saying “You are out. You got 10 days. You are a liar,” according to the court papers.
The woman moved out of the property at that time, and the court papers say that as a result of the Woodcocks’ actions she has suffered actual damages, including emotional distress.
HUD’s charge will be heard by a United States administrative law judge unless any party elects for the case to be heard in federal court. If the administrative law judge finds that discrimination has occurred, the judge may award damages to the woman.
The judge may also order injunctive relief and other equitable relief, as well as payment of attorney fees.
