Last year, more than a dozen women came forward to accuse Baltimore Housing maintenance workers of refusing to make necessary repairs unless the women granted them sexual favors. One woman said she was denied heat for two winters because she refused to have sex with the maintenance man.
In January, the Housing Authority reached an $8 million settlement with the women. Now, WJZ reports that 37 more women have come forward and added their names to the list. The bulk of the settlement money will come from the housing authority’s reserve account, the Sun reports; that isn’t great news for residents of Baltimore’s public housing, either.
The sex-for-repairs debacle is just one of many scandals to have plagued Housing Commissioner Paul Graziano and the Baltimore Housing Authority in recent months. Putative mayor Catherine Pugh has said that she will replace Graziano once she takes office.
