WESTLAND — The Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing a landlord for sexual harassment and retaliation against female tenants in violation of the Fair Housing Act.

Former mayoral candidate William Asper allegedly began sexually harassing female tenants in 2018, offering housing-related benefits in exchange for sexual contact, making unwelcome sexual comments and advances to female tenants, subjecting female tenants to unwelcome touching and groping and taking adverse housing-related actions against female tenants who refused his sexual advances.

The lawsuit filed by the DOJ also names the William Aaron Asper Living Trust and REPSA Enterprises LLC as defendants as both entities owned rental properties during Asper’s management and alleged sexual harassment of female tenants.

“Women should not live in fear when they pay their rent or seek repairs,” Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said. “The Justice Department will continue to vigorously enforce the Fair Housing Act’s prohibition of this conduct.”

In the complaint, Asper allegedly sexually harassed female tenants and refused to make necessary repairs to units rented by women as well as threatened to evict tenants if they refused his demands for sex. One victim said that the encounters often took place in front of her young son.

“A man who preys on vulnerable women in need of a home deserves the greatest condemnation,” said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. “We will do our best to protect women against gross exploitation.”

The lawsuit is the result of a joint investigation by the Justice Department and HUD’s Office of Inspector General.

“It is unacceptable for landlords to threaten or commit sexual harassment or abuse against tenants,” Machelle Jindra, special agent in charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG), said. “Every person deserves to feel safe in their home. HUD-OIG will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to hold housing providers accountable for this type of horrible conduct.”

In 2021, Asper was removed from the ballot for the position of Westland mayor due to residency concerns. He was on probation for aggravated stalking and has been under scrutiny for multiple social media comments and messages made public by a group on Facebook called “Women Against William Asper for Mayor” that is now called “Women Against William ‘Aaron’ Asper, Former Candidate for Westland Mayor.”

Jessica Grevenstuk, who helps maintain the Facebook group, told The Arab American News at the time that she was trying to protect women and the city she called home for most of her life. 

While she was never a tenant of Asper’s, Grevenstuk had experienced harassment from him online dating back to 2015. When the news broke of the lawsuit, Grevenstuk told The Arab American News that the women she’s been trying to protect are finally being heard.

“This man thought he was Goliath,” she said. “Well, this time David was loud and many, and she made sure all were heard.”

The Arab American News reached out to Asper for comment on the lawsuit and was advised that a response regarding the lawsuit would come at a later time from his lawyers, but for the online commentary, the claims are false.

“They are false claims made by the same woman and her hate group she created,” he said. “This is a woman who I’ve never met or even spoken to on the phone, and who created a hate group about me because I turned her down on Plenty of Fish around 14 years ago. I have never discriminated against anyone or violated any fair housing law.”

The lawsuit is seeking monetary damages to compensate persons harmed by the alleged harassment, civil penalties to vindicate the public interest and a court order barring future discrimination.