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.
Dov Charney vs American Apparel Inc. employees: The flamboyant CEO and founder of famous clothing chain American Apparel, Dov Charney, is renowned in the retail business and beyond as an unconventional, extraverted boss. But in 2005, three American Apparel employees filed suit against Charney for sexually harassing them at work. Several American Apparel employees defended the retailer, sustaining that American Apparel’s work environment is uniquely lax, and that the company's sexed-up marketing strategy aimed at attracting young buyers naturally leaks into the office culture.
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. When she first filed a complaint, Jenson’s car tires were slashed and the company refused to pay for replacements. In 1988, the first class action sexual harassment lawsuit in America was applied in this case. Through various hearings and trials that went on until the mid-1990s, Lois Jenson and the other co-plaintiffs eventually settled with the company for $3.5 million.
Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky: Most certainly the most famous presidential scandal in our nation's history. Bill Clinton's affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky spread far beyond the Oval Office. People worldwide followed the case, as Clinton's presidency took a backseat to Kenneth Starr’s investigation of the incident. Clinton eventually became the second American president after Nixon to face an impeachment trial.
Joseph Oncale vs Sundowner Offshore services: This 1998 case involved a male oil rig worker who spent regular stretches of time on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Joseph Oncale was repeatedly threatened, humiliated and sodomized by members of his crew, according to the reading of the case. But no action was taken when he reported the incidents. When Oncale eventually quit, he insisted on having mentioned on his pink slip that he was voluntary leaving due to verbal abuse and sexual harassment. He filed a sexual-harassment suit against his offenders, but the District Court of Eastern Louisiana declared that as a male, Oncale was under the protection of the 1964 legislation that prohibits sexual harassment. After the appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, it nonetheless was reversed by a 1998 ruling that declared that, according to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, sexual-harassment also "applied to harassment in the workplace between members of the same sex."
The Archdiocese of Boston: In December 2002, Massachusetts priests and bishops were tried for accusations of sexually abusing children. The scandal eventually reached the Vatican and Pope John Paul II. The Archdiocese of Boston and Cardinal Bernard Francis Law agreed to turn over the names of all priests accused of sexual-harassment to prosecutors before he resigned himself in December 2002, according to the Boston Globe. Hundreds of victims from all over the U.S. began to reveal grim stories of sexual abuse and the Archdiocese settled with most claims for $86 million. In June 2004 much of the land around the archdiocese of Boston headquarters was sold to Boston College in part to raise money for legal costs associated with the scandal.
Kobe Bryant vs the Colorado teenager: In 2003, the then 24-year-old Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant got caught up in a sexual-harassment case involving a 19 year-old from Colorado. Bryant admitted cheating on his wife with the teenage ski-resort employee but denied the assault charges. Speculations went on for more than a year until the case was ultimately dropped. Soon after, Bryant agreed to apologize to the girl in a public mea culpa. Details of financial compensation to the victim were not made public.
Isaiah Thomas vs Anucha Browne Sanders: In October 2007 New York Knicks Coach Isiah Thomas was found guilty of sexually harassing Knicks executive Anucha Browne Sanders. New York Knicks owners were ordered to pay Ms. Sanders $11.6 million. For creating a hostile work environment, Madison Square Garden owes $6 million, plus $2.6 million for retaliation. And team owner James Dolan owes $3 million.
