WESTLAND, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Westland landlord is accused of sexually harassing female tenants. The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit alleging William Asper of Canton propositioned the women for sexual favors.
The eight-page federal complaint lists nearly two dozen properties owned and managed by Asper in Westland.
Watch Darren Cunningham's video report below:
The complaint states Asper would refuse "to make necessary repairs" or he'd result to “threatening and/or filing evictions against his female tenants when they refused to give into his demands for sex.”
Tricia Ray credits a Facebook page she created, along with Jessica Grevenstuk, as the catalyst for the lawsuit.
“Today feels like victory... for single moms everywhere who need some place affordable for rent, and they don’t deserve to be taken advantage of like that," she told 7 News Detroit.
“Trading rent for sexual favors is just not it.”
She and Grevenstuk weren’t tenants. However, they said they had bad encounters online with Asper that led them to speak out on social media years ago.
“And I found out he was convicted stalker, and we just started digging and searching and then we created the Facebook page ‘Women against William Asper for Mayor’ because he, at the time, he was trying to run for mayor (of Westland)," Ray recalled.
"Woman just started coming out of the woodwork with stories."
7 News Detroit spoke with Asper over the phone for his side of the story. He said asking tenants for sexual favors doesn’t pay his bills.
“As far as the allegations, sexual stuff, none of that’s true. No. No way," Asper said.
He declined an on-camera interview, but he said he’s the one being harassed.
“Some of these people may have been actual tenants, and when I do evictions, it’s part of the game. It’s part of the business. I had to evict and usually it’s for non-payment," Asper said.
"People don’t like to admit hey, I couldn’t afford the rent, I got evicted from a low-income place because I couldn’t afford the rent. So, what they will do is they will save face. They will save the embarrassment and they’ll make attacks on the landlord," he said.
Ray and Grevenstuck said they aren't surprised by Asper's denials, but they're pleased the DOJ believed them enough to gather enough evidence to make a case against him.
"You think you’re God, and that’s exactly what this man thought. He thought he was God,” Ggrevenstuk told 7 News Detroit. “I want him to be found guilty and held responsible."
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages for people who were harmed, civil penalties and a court order barring future discrimination.
