• 22
  • February
    2012

In California, employers have a legal responsibility to take reasonable care to prevent and stop sexual harassment in the workplace. Unfortunately, some employers make bad situations worse by retaliating against the reporting party.

According to a recent lawsuit, that is exactly what happened to a woman who worked for a pathology practice. As a cytotechnologist, the woman evaluated microscope slides for the practice. The cytotechnologist alleges that her coworker, a city councilman, sexually harassed her when they worked together at the pathology practice from 2005 to 2011.

According to the lawsuit, when the victim reported the sexual harassment, the pathology practice neglected to properly deal with the situation. Instead, the cytotechnologist alleges, some of the male employees harassed her and tried to intimidate her.

The lawsuit claims the councilman told dirty jokes in the cytotechnologist's presence, gave sexually explicit greeting cards to her and expressed control over her, even threatening to fire her if she did not stay at a holiday party in once instance.

The sexual harassment allegedly became physical in August 2011 when the councilman inappropriately touched the cytotechnologist by kissing her face, fondling her breasts and rubbing himself against her body.

After the cytotechnologist's reported the physical harassment, the lawsuit says the councilman was denied access to the pathology facilities for two weeks.

If the cytotechnologist wins her case, a jury may award compensatory and punitive compensation for the alleged sexual harassment by the councilman and for the alleged negligence by the pathology practice.

Source: The Anniston Star, "Lawsuit accuses Anniston councilman of sexual harassment," Patrick McCreless, Feb. 20, 2012