The Justice Department has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the owner of a rental property alleging his actions violated the Fair Housing Act, the Department announced Monday.

The Department names Randy Hames and his Cullman, Alabama rental property company, Hames Marina, LLC as defendants in the lawsuit.

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, alleges that since 2011, Hames sexually harassed numerous women who lived on his rental property. The suit alleges he demanded or pressured female tenants to engage in sexual acts with him in exchange for rent or prevent eviction; evicting female tenants when they refused his advances; stalking female attendants and entering their residences without permission and making unwelcome sexual comments and advances.

Stories from three women who lived on Hames’ properties were included in the complaint. Hames alleged behavior occurred in 2011, November 2017 and December 2017, according to the complaint.

“The alleged behavior of Randy Hames is abhorrent and repulsive. We will not let women, or any person, in our district be threatened, harassed or retaliated against by landlords,” said U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town.

“The Fair Housing Act is an extraordinary tool that allows the Department of Justice to protect all female tenants from egregious misconduct, like sexual harassment, and we will continue to strongly enforce all violations of it.”

The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, and familial status.

Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of sexual harassment or discrimination at rental dwellings owned or operated by Randy Hames or Hames Marina, or who have other information that may be relevant to this case, should contact the Housing Discrimination Tip Line, by calling 1-800-896-7743, pressing 1 to continue in English, and selecting mailbox 7 to leave a message.