Sex-Harassment Suit Settled

BACKGROUND: Twenty-one single, low-income mothers claimed a Fairfield, Calif., apartment manager sexually harassed them for 2 1/2 years. The tenants of the Fairfield North complex accused James H. Skinner of letting himself into their apartments, fondling them, withholding welfare checks and imposing curfews on their children. The tenants said building owners ignored their complaints.

UPDATE: The case ended Tuesday when eight former tenants represented by the federal government settled their civil-rights complaint against the owners and Skinner. The women and two teen-agers received $342,000 in damages, with awards ranging from $5,000 to $135,000. The owners, without admitting guilt, were ordered to pay the federal government $45,000.

Last year, 13 women and their children, represented by private lawyers, received $572,000 in damages. The attorneys got $259,000 in fees.

Experts say the $1.2 million in total damages make this the nation’s largest sex-harassment-in-housing case.

A TV movie and book about the women are in the works. Last week, eight tenants taped an “Oprah” show. Skinner is in Solano County Jail, awaiting an April trial on charges he raped one former tenant and her sister.