Oil City landlord accused of sexually harassing tenant, unlawful eviction,

The Justice Department has sued husband-and-wife landlords in Oil City, Venango County, saying the man groped and tried to kiss a female tenant in 2019 and then evicted the woman after she complained.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, alleges sexual harassment and retaliation in violation of the Fair Housing Act.

The defendants are Allen Woodcock and his wife, Heidi Woodcock, of Cooperstown, Pa. The Woodcocks own and manage seven rental properties in the Oil City area.

According to the complaint, a woman and her boyfriend rented a unit on Pearl Street in Oil City in 2017. In April 2019, Mr. Woodcock said he would be stopping by to do maintenance work.

On April 20, he showed up and tried to force himself on the female tenant, according to the complaint. He approached her from behind, put his arms around her and rubbed his hands up and down her legs, the suit said, then pushed her against a wall and tried to kiss her.

He also sent an “inappropriate text” to her, according to the complaint.

“Defendant Woodcock’s actions were unsolicited and unwelcomed by [the female tenant]” the suit says. The woman “rejected his advances and asked Defendant Woodcock to stop.”

About a week after the alleged incident, the female tenant complained about it to the Woodcocks. Heidi Woodcock then sent her text messages saying she was a liar and telling her “You are out” and “You got 10 days” to leave. The same day, the couple sent her a notice to vacate.

The following month, Heidi Woodcock filed a complaint in county court to evict the woman.

On May 24, 2019, the tenant attended the eviction hearing and agreed to move out by June 3, 2019, which she did.

A few weeks after that she filed a fair housing complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD investigated and referred the issue to the Justice Department.

The suit seeks monetary damages to compensate the female tenant and a court order barring future discrimination by the couple.