From staff reports
The U.S. Department of Justice said Monday it has filed a lawsuit against a Cooperstown couple alleging sexual harassment and retaliation toward a female tenant at a rental property the couple own in Oil City.
The lawsuit alleges that in April 2019, Allen Woodcock groped and tried to forcibly kiss the woman while he was in her 69 Pearl St. apartment. The suit also says he sent an inappropriate text message to her.
Court papers filed by the Justice Department say the woman later reported the incident to Woodcock and his wife, Heidi Woodcock.
Heidi Woodcock also filed a landlord tenant complaint in Venango County Court seeking to evict the woman, the court papers say.
The Justice Department said the lawsuit seeks to compensate the woman and provide a court order barring future discrimination.
The Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative was launched in October 2017 and has since filed 21 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing.
