Representing Victims of Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors or comments or actions of a sexual nature constitute harassment when it "affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment."
Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment takes two main forms. The first is type is called quid-pro-quo, meaning "this for that." It occurs when one person, usually a supervisor, forces an employee to submit to sexual advances in exchange for a promotion, pay increase, better work assignment or other job benefit. Sometimes workers are threatened with losing their jobs if they fail to comply with the supervisor's sexual demands.
Hostile Work Environment Harassment
The second type of sexual harassment involves activities that turn the workplace into a hostile work environment. These activities can range from unwanted physical contact to persistent and unwelcome requests for dates by fellow employees, supervisors or clients to displaying pornography in the workplace or telling jokes or stories of a sexual nature at work.
Both men and women can be victims and perpetrators of sex discrimination and harassment on the job. Anyone negatively affected by the conduct may be eligible to file a claim — not just the person who is the object of the harassment.
The attorneys of Greene Broillet & Wheeler, LLP, have won significant verdicts and settlements in lawsuits on behalf of clients who were victims of workplace sexual harassment. To learn more about this area of our practice, please visit our sexual harassment case results page.
If you are seeking experienced legal representation for a sexual harassment claim, please contact us. From offices in Santa Monica, our trial lawyers represent clients in Los Angeles, Southern California and the entire state. We also consult with attorneys and clients nationwide.