You-Too? Sexual Harassment - You Don’t Have to Take it Lying Down


Today Roseanne was cancelled because of a horrific racist tweet.  Actors and politicians are being brought down due to their treatment of women in the workplace.  Our culture is moving towards zero tolerance of disrespect, and if you’ve been a victim, it’s time to speak up.

If you have been a victim of sexual harassment in the workplace, it might be easier to tell your story to a woman attorney.  It’s embarrassing to talk about sexual advances or touching’s at work.  Nobody should have their economic futures at risk due to co-worker’s improper behavior.  No woman should ever have to choose between her dignity and her job.

I worked as a teaching assistant for Civil Rights Attorney Haywood Burns and at the (Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC) during law school, developing a solid foundation in Sexual Harassment law at my Personal Injury law firm Wittenstein & Wittenstein in Forest Hills.  Clients come to us from all over New York City (Queens, The Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island) and from Nassau County, Long Island with their sexual harassment cases.

Is your boss asking you out and changing your schedule for the worse when you refuse?  That’s sexual harassment!  Is your supervisor constantly “complimenting” how nice your legs are in front of your colleagues?  That’s sexual harassment.  Both of these things happened to me when I was in my twenties, but back then there wasn’t much you could do about it.  Even though there were causes of action on the books, lawyers wouldn’t take these cases and women just had to put up with these “minor” indignities.

As a Personal Injury Attorney in Forest Hills at Wittenstein & Wittenstein, I can examine the facts of your case and determine whether you have a case that is actionable.  It would be frivolous to bring a lawsuit for sexual harassment just because your boss asks you out once.  If there is an unwanted advance at your workplace, immediately report it to Human Resources or the highest level of management.  This is usually enough to stop the problem as businesses are well aware of sexual harassment lawsuits.  If the problem stops with one advance, there is not enough “damage,” to bring an action.

On the other hand, if Human Resources or management does not take any action to stop the harassment, they can be held liable for allowing a “hostile work environment” to exist.  If you are told by management that “it’s not big deal,” or “grow up,” you should call an attorney immediately.  A claim for sexual harassment is not against the person at issue with the bad behavior - it’s against the employer for allowing this condition to exist at their company.



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