Landlord to pay $6 million to the victim of a 2022 office building attack

Nearly two years after a woman was robbed and sexually assaulted inside an office building in Center City, the landlord settled a lawsuit agreeing to pay $6 million to the victim, officials said.

The lawsuit claimed that the office building located near 13th and Arch streets had negligent security as the suspect was able to sneak into the building without being noticed by the guard who was stationed at the front desk in the lobby of the building.

Even though the building requires everyone to be buzzed in by the security guard or the use of a key card to enter, the attacker, identified as Willie Harris, was still able to get inside and roam around, the lawsuit alleged.

Security flaws inside office building

According to a statement made by the lawyers of the female victim, the office building had several security flaws at the time of the attack on July 5, 2022.

The front desk where the security guard was sitting was positioned in a way in the lobby where the person on duty was unable to completely view the front door and stairwell unless they were watching the monitor that was showing a live surveillance feed.

The statement from the lawyers also explains that anyone could access the stairwell to the upper floors of the building because there wasn't a lock on the door leading to the stairs.

“Our client’s life has been forever changed by this brutal crime, which happened during business hours at work where she felt safe,” Kline and Spector associate Lorraine Donnelly said. “But for the negligent security of the landlord and their security guard, this brutal attack would not have occurred. We hope that landlords in our city and elsewhere will realize the importance of having reasonable security to protect their tenants and employees, including from criminal acts of intruders. Our client will have a lifetime of healing from the scars of this avoidable tragedy.”

Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.

Willie Harris assaults woman

Harris was able to use the stairwell to access the upper floors of the nine-story building, officials explained. He entered the office space on the eighth floor where he tried to rob a woman after asking her for another woman whom she did not know.

He then demanded she stay seated in a chair as he rummaged through the office, looking for items, Kearney said. The victim offered to give her earbuds and earrings to him in the hopes he would leave.

The suspect became angry, police said, and he proceeded to beat and choke the woman repeatedly. Then, he raped her.

A second employee, who had stepped out for a 30-minute lunch break, came back into the office and witnessed the assault. The suspect then ran out, police said.

The colleague told police they had seen the suspect outside of the office building when she left for her break.

As Harris left the building, he was not stopped nor questioned by the security guard on duty, officials said.

Arresting Willie Harris

Officers with the Washington Township Police Department in New Jersey were able to take Harris into custody just days later and he was eventually convicted of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, burglary, robbery, and related charges, according to officials.

Harris goes by several aliases, including William Banks, Wil Harris, Billy Smith, Reese Smith, Willie Smith and Maurice Harris, Philadelphia police said.

The landlord of the office building ultimately settled the lawsuit with the victim and has agreed to pay $6 million.

NBC10 reached out to the lawyers for both the office building landlord and Willie Harris. We have not yet heard back.