Santa Clarita Sexual Battery Attorney Jeffrey Cowan

$150,000 Settlement for Victim of Housing Discrimination and Sexual Battery

A woman renting a rural house near Santa Clarita in Los Angeles County found herself with a landlord who harassed her with unwanted romantic and sexual comments and overtures. The advances continued even after the tenant made clear that they were unwelcome. The landlord then began stalking the woman – first showing up unannounced at her home and then at her workplace, where he ended up grabbing the woman’s buttock (sexual battery) and also squeezing her arm so forcefully that he bruised it.

Making a police report and having the cops warn the landlord to stay away did not resolve the problem, so the woman first got a restraining order and then retained Los Angeles housing discrimination and civil rights lawyer Jeffrey Cowan. After Jeffrey sent a demand letter, the landlord retaliated by raising the tenant’s rent. Eventually, Jeffrey persuaded the landlord to participate in a pre-litigation mediation – which resulted in a $150,000 pre-litigation settlement in February 2016. As a result, the client can now afford psychotherapy and work towards healing and moving on with her life.a