• 05
  • February
    2011

Many people spend more than one-third of their time at work. Although many individuals are passed the point of believing that every element of their jobs will be perfect, they do not expect to be harassed in the workplace. Yet that is the sad reality that many individuals face on a daily base.

Bosses, co-workers and even customers can create a hostile work environment. While employers may not be aware of the problem unless the victim reports it, once that happens, they are responsible for taking the appropriate steps to remedy the situation. In Pasadena, California, a sheriff's sergeant won more than $210,000 in a sexual harassment lawsuit after being subjected to harassment for about three years.

When the sergeant began working, a male lieutenant was assigned as her mentor. The San Francisco Chronicle says that in the years that followed, he made numerous unwanted sexual advances and comments. She repeatedly told the lieutenant that she was not interested and sent complaints up the chain of command. Although she was put in a new position without the lieutenant, the problems did not stop.

The sergeant complained that her new position was equivalent to that of a receptionist, and it was a spot normally filled by interns. Although the jury that heard her case awarded damages for the sexual harassment claim, they denied that she was also the victim of retaliation. If the sergeant's statement about her new position is accurate, the jury's decision seems surprising.

Being demoted to a position for which you are drastically over-qualified after alleging sexual harassment against a superior certainly seems to fit within the realms of retaliation. However, having success with the sexual harassment lawsuit may give the sergeant the financial security necessary to leave the hostile work environment and find a position in which she receives the respect she deserves.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle, "$212 for sergeant in sex harassment case," 3 February 2011