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The Justice Department announced Monday that it has filed a lawsuit against the owner and manager of rental properties in the Girard area, alleging he engaged in sexual harassment and retaliation in violation of the Fair Housing Act.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, alleges that Alfred Falgiani Jr., 72, of Girard, sexually harassed female tenants beginning in 2008. According to the complaint, Falgiani offered housing-related benefits in exchange for sexual contact, made unwelcome sexual comments and advances to female tenants, subjected female tenants to unwelcome touching and groping, and took adverse housing-related actions against female tenants who refused his sexual advances.
"Everyone deserves a home where they feel safe and protected. When landlords exploit their position of power to harass or intimidate tenants, they violate both the law and the basic dignity that housing should provide," said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "The Justice Department will continue to hold accountable those who abuse vulnerable residents and will work tirelessly to ensure that tenants can live free from sexual harassment and coercion."
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages to compensate persons harmed by the alleged harassment, civil penalties to vindicate the public interest, and a court order barring future discrimination.
This newspaper reported on a lawsuit filed in 2024 that accuses Falgiani of this type of conduct.
In that lawsuit, which remains pending in U.S. District Court, Amber Howard alleged that Falgiani committed federal Fair Housing Act violations and otherwise harmed her by allegedly trying to coerce her into giving him sexual favors in exchange for favorable treatment on the terms of her rental payments for a Girard property.
Howard's amended complaint, filed in January 2025, alleges that she began renting a home in Girard from Falgiani in October 2022 and that Falgiani repeatedly asked her to date him "in exchange for reduced rent." It added that "On one occasion, he rescinded an eviction against Ms. Howard only after she agreed to show him her breasts and send him a nude photograph."
The attorney for Falgiani filed a motion for summary judgment last October asking U.S. District Court Judge John R. Adams in Akron to dismiss the case on the grounds that there is "no genuine issue of material fact" left in the case and that "reasonable minds could come to but one conclusion," that the case should be dismissed.
One Falgiani filing stated that Falgiani denied violating the FHA in his interactions with Howard, but he also did not understand the FHA prohibited him from entering into a personal relationship with a tenant.
REPORT HOUSING VIOLATIONS
A news release from the Justice Department asks Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of sexual harassment or other types of housing discrimination at rental dwellings owned or managed by Alfred Falgiani, or who have other information that may be relevant to this case, should contact the Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-833-591-0291 (press 1 for English, press 2 for Sexual Harassment, then press 4 to leave a message related to Alfred Falgiani), or send an email to Talk.Falgiani@usdoj.gov. Individuals may also submit a report online.
More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt. This lawsuit is part of the Justice Department's Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative. The initiative, which the department launched in October 2017, seeks to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers and other people who have control over housing.
Since launching the initiative, the department has filed 54 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered over $19 million for victims of such harassment.