NASCAR Officials Targeted in Suit
Two NASCAR officials named in a $225 million sexual harassment and racial discrimination lawsuit have been placed on administrative leave.
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Welcome to our Web site dedicated to sexual harassment in the workplace.
Here you will find useful information regarding sexual harassment and the law, at the federal and state level. We also break down the subtleties of this commonplace form of conduct, while providing feature articles and news pieces covering the latest high profile sexual harassment cases. Please note: no information provided here is intended as legal advice.
Sexual Harassment Surge
The United States experienced a surge of sexual harassment cases in the 1990s. As the number of cases increased, the average profile of victims evolved and more laws were issued to protect individuals and set new precedents against sexual predators. In a little less than two decades, people from all horizons have found themselves involved in sexual-harassment cases – from sports stars to church leaders to presidents. The following seven examples illustrate just how widespread, damaging and subjective some cases can be. Lois Jenson vs Eveleth Taconite Co.: In the 1970s and 1980s, Jenson, an employee at the Eveleth Taconite Co. mine in Minnesota, alongside other female workers, were regularly harassed by male employees in a sexual and threatening manner.
Sexual Harassment and the Law
Both federal and state laws protect U.S. employees against workplace sexual harassment. Federal laws are based upon Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which is applied to businesses with 15 or more employees. Employees for smaller companies are generally placed under the protection of similar state anti-discrimination laws. And same-sex harassment laws vary from state to state.
Costly Offense
As New York Knick coach Isiah Thomas learned recently, sexual harassment can prove costly – to one’s dignity and pocketbook. Despite Thomas’ claims of innocence, a federal jury found him guilty of sexually harassing former Knick employee Anucha Browne Sanders and ordered his employer, Madison Square Garden, to pay her $11.6 in punitive damages...
U.S. Military Women
Harassment Reports Up Among U.S. Military Women. One-third of U.S. military women surveyed say they have experienced sexual harassment, according to a recently released Defense Department report. And nearly seven percent of active-duty women said they had experienced some kind of unwanted sexual contact. Both figures increased compared to a similar 2002 report, which found that 24 percent of women reported sexual harassment and 5 percent reported unwanted contact, but they decreased compared a similar 1995 survey, the Defense Department noted.
Bullying
Bullying More Harmful Than Sexual Harassment Workplace bullying is more damaging to employees than sexual harassment, according to a recently released report. Employees subjected to putdowns, persistent criticism, and unnatural remarks suffer graver consequences than victims of workplace sexual harassment, especially as work settings become more attuned to helping sex harassment victims, said Sandy Hershovis, PhD, the report’s lead author.
Dillard’s Settles
Dillard’s Settles Sexual Harassment Suit Dillard’s agreed to pay $500,000 to settle a class sexual harassment suit filed on behalf of 12 former employees who were harassed by an assistant store manager in two states, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Store manager Scot McGuiness sexually harassed women at two Dillard’s department stores, one in California, the other in Colorado, the EEOC maintained. The EEOC said Dillard’s knew McGuiness harassed women at the outlet’s Palmdale, Calif., store and failed to take proper action. Instead, the retailer sent him to its Westminster, Colo., store and failed to notify managers there about McGuiness’ history.
McDonald’s Workers Win Suit
A Colorado-based McDonald’s restaurant will pay $505,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit by several female employees, including teenagers, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The target of the suit, a male supervisor, allegedly bit the breasts and grabbed the buttocks of at least one woman. The supervisor also made several sexual comments and offers of favors in exchange for sex, according to an EEOC report.
Japan’s Sekuhara
Sexual harassment complaints in Japan, commonly referred to as Sekuhara, rose by 35 percent in 2000, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.The traditionally male-dominated society registered 11,102 complaints in 2006, compared to 9,500 in 1999.
