Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

The legal world is vast, especially when one begins to study employment law and sexual harassment. Ty Hyderally is an experienced lawyer who has been intrigued with the complexity of this legal area. Actually, this complex world is what first made it appealing to him. He has been successfully litigating cases of employment law and various forms of discrimination for many years. He also has offices in both the New York and New Jersey areas.

There are both state and federal laws which are created to protect employees against sexual harassment in the workplace. Federal laws are centered on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. These laws apply to employers who employ 15 or more persons. Most of the time employees who work for smaller businesses are still covered by state level anti-discrimination laws. While state laws may vary some on issues of same sex harassment, federal law supports claims against an employer for same sex harassment.

There are two types of sexual harassment as it occurs in the workplace. Quid Pro Quo Harassment is where an employee is required to tolerate some level of sexual harassment so that they can keep their job, obtain benefits, raises or promotions. And a Hostile Work Environment Harassment is a situation in which the harassment interferes with the work performance of an employee, or creates an offensive or abusive work environment.

One incident could be considered a quid pro quo harassment claim, but usually to establish a hostile work environment there will be a pattern of abusive conduct. There are several types of behaviors that can be classified as sexual harassment. Any time there are unwelcome sexual advances, verbal or physical contact of a sexual nature or requests for sexual favors it can constitute a sexual harassment claim. There are certain situations where an employer can be held liable for misconduct of non-employees, if they do not take any form of appropriate or corrective action to detour the behavior.

To bring a claim for sexual harassment the plaintiff will have to establish that they found the conduct to be offensive, abusive or hostile. To file a complaint against a workplace for sexual harassment does not mean that one has to be a victim. Usually prior to filing a suit in a sexual harassment case, the complainant will have to file a complaint with the employer or their administrative agency. To file a federal complaint, it will have to be filed with the EEOC first. And there are local and state agencies to which persons can file complaints.

Title VII will also provide protection for employees who file a sexual harassment case, who are testifying in these types of proceedings, or are participating in an investigation or litigation that is associated with a sexual harassment complaint. An employee may lose a sexual harassment claim, but still win against the employer on the grounds of retaliation.

Types of Discrimination Law

There has been much progress in trying to alleviate discrimination in the workplace. Discrimination law has been through many changes over the past 40 years. In 1964 the Civil Rights Act was enacted to protect workers from discrimination based on race, religion, national origin or gender. In 1967 Congress then adapted the law to also prohibit discrimination based on age. And in 1990, Congress once again made changes to discrimination law which also makes it illegal to discriminate against an individual based on a disability. Many states have followed suit and also prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Many of the worst discriminatory practices were alleviated by the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Resistance to enforcement of the laws is what makes it so difficult to eliminate in the workplace. Political resistance to any form of remedial action has made this a very difficult task to undertake and to succeed. Businesses have become much craftier in their employment schemes which make it even more difficult to detect and even harder to correct. Thus the workplace continues to practice unjust and illegal discriminatory practices. Despite the government’s best attempts to eradicate discrimination in the workplace it sadly still exists.

Only about 2% of cases heard on discrimination are won by the plaintiff, the worker who feels they were discriminated against. However, unfair treatment must not be confused with illegal discrimination. Treating an individual differently than others is in violation of discrimination law when the ill treatment is based on the existence of a characteristic which is protected. Actions by a company based on job performance or even something as subjective as personality do not necessarily indicate discriminatory practices.

When it is proven that a company has been engaged in such illegal actions they can be made to pay up to $300,000 in punitive damages. The person who was dealt with unfairly based on one of the protected groups can receive back pay or reinstatement of their previous position or their job if they were fired. They can be compensated for any pain and suffering that was due to the illegal practices of the business.

The Federal law carries a statute of limitations for most forms of discrimination in the workplace. The complaint must be filed within 180 days of the alleged occurrence. The exception occurs for sexual discrimination. Claims for these cases must be filed within 90 days of receiving the “right to sue” letter from the EEO certifying the individual’s right to file a claim for sexual discrimination.