"The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit Wednesday against an Ohio landlord who is accused of sexually harassing female tenants over the past 11 years.

"sexually harassed multiple women at residential properties that he owned or managed in the Youngstown, Ohio, area from at least 2009 to at least 2020..."

If there was one or even two complaints, I would think that a 71 year would know enough on how to act in public. But when a couple become multiple and this spans over several decades......I am inclined to believe that someone might be in some deep hot water.

Most of our tenants are women. In the past, I always accompanied male contractors and husband so the women felt comfortable and the male counterpart was not put in the position to be accused of any funny business.

Pro: I think that why its a good idea to use a body cam these days, they have come WAY down in price esp if you know where to buy them.

Con: for that guy,.. it probably not a choice that long ago.AND who would keep the files that long of a time.

Further pro,..letting know you have one and its recording (saying something like "Oh why do I have this? I let it run all day so I don't have to take notes to remember things like buying supplies, things to do later etc")... this way she might not try to falsify anything, knowing that things are/might be recorded..

Some years ago,..I fired a office worker because I was pretty sure she was stealing,...AND I over heard her telling another female that worked part time for me,..and longer hours at another place,..that girl was saying that her other boss wasn't happy with her and fired her. Female #1 said said she should ask for a big severance pay,..and a good future reference.,..and if he didn't agree,.. threaten sexual harassment,..

#2 said but he never did that,..female #1 said "it didn't matter,..you have a powerful weapon.

I decided not to wait, so I fired her, (I had I felt enough evidence of her stealing, plus another worker also confessed that they were both doing it)

So she tried to pull that with me, even got a lawyer to send e a threatening letter claiming that,..until I told her and the lawyer that we have a small cam on in the office,.(she knows I'm a electronic gadget guy)

I found out from a 3rd woman,..that the lawyer told her to drop it. and never hard anymore about it.

I posted a few weeks ago about an application who'd filed multiple lawsuits in the past. I think this discussion exemplifies what someone who sues a lot is a red flag for.

I don’t know the guy and I’m not defending him

BUT…

Claiming harassment is easy, popular, and a “go to” for Millenials and younger.

Never alone with a woman and body cams. At lease turn your phone on RECORD VOICE MEMO for an audio of the conversation.

Zero pity for misbehaving landlords; none.

I subscribe to the Dept of Justice Daily Digest Bulletin and I FREQUENTLY see posts of landlords doing bad things, especially to women and people of color.

Every tenant is a tester - every single one. Act accordingly.

Well again, the body cams have gotten so cheap, I think the one I got cost me $25 and works pretty well. I'm going to order another one for $35 as a spare in my toolbox it is supposed to be a bit more high definition.

Again maybe the biggest use/tool of these are the fact that somebody knows that you are using one, and you can tell them it's just for taking notes, remembering to buy supplies, to call people later etc,etc. Actually I always casually point it out, telling them its just so my memory doesn't fail me as I have so much to remember each day,

I never have had someone make an issue of photoing their apt,..if they did I would ask them to step outside to address the reason why I'm there.

If you knew you were being recorded, or even possibly being recorded, would you try to make up a lie? Even if later you don't see a cam on me,..can you be sure its not more hidden?

I don't know about you but I can't drag somebody along with me every time I try to visit a property or to have a conversation with the tenant.

I think its great insurance.AND,..sometimes useful for other reasons (I also use a mini voice recorder for notes) i t has helped me with recording phone numbers and lots of other things,.often in doing it,..it seems to also put in a more accessible part of my brain and I don't generally need to play it back,..but occasionally my memory fails me,.and I have a go to tool to retrieve it if necessary.

David: It is all about what ISN'T on the recording. It's done to try to avoid any inaccurate harassment claim. If you have a recording of the lease signing that is just you saying "sign here and here, blah blah blah" -- but she SAYS that you offered for her to exchange sexual favors instead of the rent -- then having that recording that does NOT have that is what you want to have.

Don, a LL should never ever flirt with a tenant , even good natured and initiated by tenant. I would say that a LL should not even be socially friendly with a tenant. Polite and professional but never friendly.

Don, there should not be any good natured flirting back and forth with a tenant or an employee.

Not accusing you, but what some men consider "good natured flirting" is quite unpleasant for the woman who has to put up with it when the man is in a position of power, like her boss or her landlord. Just because you are having a good time does not mean that the woman is also having a good time.

Don, I am not a lawyer but I think there are laws that will come back to bite you.

Guess maybe if I became infatuated with a tenant and the feeling was likewise I would make them not my tenant any more.

I have read countless stories about how she initiated it but he still got tagged as a predator. Why even take the chance? Not even talking about the moral obligation, but the financial risks?

The tenant has nothing to lose in that scenario.

LL flirts back, maybe T gets some extra stuff, less rent or whatever.

LL doesn't flirt back, maybe T drops it. Maybe T moves forward with the flirtation. Maybe T accuses LL anyhow.

"It is a sad world where everyone needs to cover their own backside"

David, none of my people do as far as I know.

Maybe they are all lucky. Maybe it isn't as bad as some think. Either way it is sad that anyone at any time can be wrongfully accused and the world will see them as guilty either way.

I do not record my life but I also do not put myself in the situations where I could be seen as wrong.

I record the audio on my phone when I go into units for anything. Whether or not that is legal in my state is actually still being debated. But I don't care. I do it and if I was every accused of something untrue, I'd happily release the audio to prove it untrue. I don't care if it is admissible in court or not -- and I don't care if they tried to sue me over an illegal recording. I'd much rather admit to an illegal recording proving that I'm innocent of assault or some other transgression -- than to have people think that I actually did it.

Audio recordings gets complicated. Esp that they can be altered these days,...audio with video are much stronger.

I also see over at TEMU one can buy this.I have never tried one but they are about 30.00

Possibility has other (legal) uses,..ie lumber yards ,carpet stores, etc. or any other place you would like to remember things for later.

NE: Indeed. Technically, it probably isn't even illegal here. Michigan used to be considered a 2-party state for recording. But now it is mostly considered a 1-party state. Nothing in the law changed, it has just been interpreted differently more recently. So, technically, probably not even breaking the rules. (But I would even if it was. Because I don't believe that it really negatively affects anyone else by doing so.)

John, How are you able to track what recording was where over a year's time? Do you start it with the place you are entering?

Zero: I just hit a button to start recording on an app on my Android phone before I go in. It automatically adds the date/time. If I ever had to go back and year and see where/when I was at a unit, I could simply go to Google Maps for the dates of the recordings and take a look.

Simplicity at its finest.

I don't like touching or being touched by people. Took me years to get okay with a simple handshake.

I just tell the kids that want a hug that I am covered in dirt, or maybe sick or something else. They don't understand if I just say no. I personally believe that parents shouldn't let their kids just go around hugging random people.