MIDWEST

LANDLORD’S DEMAND FOR SEX IN LIEU OF RENT COSTS HIM

LINCOLN, Neb. – A landlord was ordered to pay more than $66,000 in damages yesterday to 10 women who accused him of violating federal Fair Housing laws by demanding sex in lieu of rent. The award against John Koch was far less than the $1.9 million the U.S. Justice Department had sought. Federal officials filed a civil suit against Koch after about 20 women – many of them low-income and desperate to find housing – accused him of demanding sexual favors as far back as 1996 in lieu of such things as rent, late rent charges, and security deposits. Koch, who owns 43 rental houses in Omaha, also was accused of inappropriately touching female tenants, entering their homes without notice, and stealing items if they rejected his advances. Some women were wrongfully evicted or threatened, according to the lawsuit. The case was brought after one prospective tenant secretly taped Koch demanding sex once a week to rent a house from him, prosecutors said. Koch testified that some of the women initiated the sex, and he evicted tenants only when they were behind on rent. He said he refused to rent to some women only because they did not have enough money for a security deposit. Koch did not immediately return a call to his home yesterday. His attorney, Matthew McBride, said during the trial that while Koch’s behavior was “immoral” and “not proper,” he had not broken federal law. Justice Department lawyers did not return calls seeking comment.

– Associated Press

NORTHWEST

COURT: MOTHER’S EAVESDROPPING VIOLATED LAW

SEATTLE – Striking a blow for rebellious teenagers, the Washington Supreme Court ruled yesterday that state law prohibits parents from eavesdropping on a child’s phone conversations. The case reached the high court because of a purse-snatching. A 17-year-old boy was convicted of the robbery, in part on testimony from his girlfriend’s mother, who overhead him discussing the crime on the phone with her daughter. The daughter had taken a cordless phone into her bedroom and closed the door. In another room, her mother pressed the speakerphone button on an extension, listened in and took notes. The court ruled that the daughter and her boyfriend had a reasonable expectation of privacy on the phone. Washington state law prohibits intercepting or recording conversations without the consent of all participants. “The Washington privacy statute puts a high value on the privacy of communications,” Justice Tom Chambers wrote in the unanimous opinion. The boyfriend will get a new trial.

– Associated Press