• 17
  • February
    2012

A female California deputy recently filed a $1.5 million sexual harassment and sexual abuse lawsuit against her employer. She accuses her boss, a California probation chief, of sexually assaulting her in May of 2011.

Among the employee's claims are that she was subjected to sexual harassment in the workplace, specifically that the probation chief sexually assaulted her and falsely imprisoned her.

According to the 30-year-old's sexual harassment claims, on one occasion, the probation chief touched her inappropriately several times. She also says he made inappropriate innuendos about a bruise on her body that day.

On another occasion, she says he grabbed her and kissed her and insinuated that they should have sex. The female employee says she attempted to stop the contact but he pulled her shirt down and then sexually assaulted her. She says she repeatedly tried to stop the assault. However, she says she feared retaliation and losing her job so she did not report the incident right away. The next day a similar incident occurred again.

The female victim has been allowed to take a paid leave of absence from her job. This is one appropriate course of action when someone may have been the victim of a sexual assault in order to avoid a continuing hostile work environment.

No employee should feel that they must be subjected to even just one incident of sexual harassment in the workplace for fear of losing their job. If you may be in a similar situation you should know that you have rights, and that sexual harassment in the workplace is illegal, and so is retaliation for reporting it.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle, "Alameda probation chief accused of sexual abuse," Demian Bulwa, Feb. 15, 2012