• 15
  • March
    2011

In the past six months, a California junior college has faced three sexual harassment cases by employees. Although in two of the cases a jury found mostly in favor of the school, in at least one of the three cases the college settled with the victim.

In October, the college faced the first of the three sexual harassment allegations. The charges came from a former female dean of the school. She claimed that she suffered sexual harassment and discrimination at the hands of her co-workers. She argued that her hostile work environment created by her co-workers was a result of gender discrimination. The jury ruled mostly in the favor of the school in that case.

In January, the college reached a settlement agreement with a former secretary. The secretary had worked for a former male dean for two years. She claimed that during those two years she suffered multiple occasions of sexual harassment by her boss, including a rape. Her supervisor admitted that he had a sexual relationship with her but claimed that it was consensual.

In court documents, however the victim says her boss threatened to fire her if she did not agree to have sex with him. The college agreed that improper sexual relations took place and decided to settle the sexual harassment suit. The settlement awards the victim $2.5 million.

In February, a third sexual harassment case against the college was also decided. In that case, another former male dean was accused of sexually harassing one of the college's speech professors. The professor claimed that she suffered from post-traumatic stress after an alleged sexual attack by the former dean. She also claimed that the school refused to accommodate her work-related disability.

Unfortunately, the professor never reported the incident to the school. As a result, the judge ruled that there was insufficient evidence with regards to the sexual harassment claim. With respect to the disability discrimination claim, the jury found in favor of the school.

Employees who are subjected to sexual harassment should know that they have rights. By reporting all incidents of sexual harassment, victims can help to protect themselves. At the very least, a report would provide evidence to substantiate harassment claims. In many cases, speaking up may help to prevent further harassment. Hopefully, this California college will address the issue and set procedures to ensure that its employees are not subjected to sexual harassment in the future.

Source: The Daily Breeze, "El Camino College cleared of charges in harassment suit," Rob Kuznia, 8 Mar 2011