Assertive Advocacy In Sexual Harassment And Sex Discrimination Cases
Every employee expects, or should expect, that his or her boss will provide a safe and respectful work environment. However, some employers allow or enable conduct that violates their workers’ legal rights and threatens their well-being. These situations can include physical touching and assaults, inappropriate comments or jokes, excessive yelling or swearing, less desirable job assignments or other offensive conduct.
“I had to leave my job because of a male boss who bullied and harassed women. He was a co-owner of the business, so there was nowhere to go to complain, and there was no policy to guide me. On my last day, the verbal abuse and bullying was so bad that I had to call the police for help. When I first saw Mike Farhi, I was traumatized and afraid. But I wanted compensation for suffering emotional stress and losing my job just because I’m a woman. Over long weeks of hard negotiations, Mike presented my claim of sexual harassment and got me a very good settlement, which included monetary benefits, continued health benefits and help in moving forward. I’d highly recommend Mike Farhi to any victim of harassment and discrimination.
— S.G.
At Kates Nussman Ellis Farhi & Earle, LLP, in Hackensack, our lawyers represent individual workers and businesses, helping them deal with real and potential hostile work environments and on-the-job discrimination. That includes analyzing situations to see if legal action — or preventive action — against or by an employer makes sense. An equally important decision is whether filing a lawsuit, settling a claim or using other options to resolve a problem is the best choice. Every person and situation is different, so there are no “one size fits all” solutions.
Implementing Policies Benefits Employers And Employees
Businesses that instill and enforce sexual harassment and anti-discrimination policies create a safe and protective work environment. This reduces potential for negative working situations, and provides for a safe environment for the employee to report any issues, allowing for a quicker resolution to the situation.
What Is A Hostile Work Environment Claim?
A hostile work environment is a form of unlawful discrimination and can arise from harassment based on:
- Gender or sexual orientation
- Age
- Race
- Religion
- National origin and nationality
- Medical/mental conditions, including pregnancy and mental illness
To be the basis of legal action in New Jersey and New York, workplace harassment also has to be “severe” or “pervasive” — severe meaning the offensiveness of the action or actions and pervasive meaning their frequency. One severe act of sexual or other harassment or frequent less severe acts may create hostile work environments and be the basis for legal action.
Broadly Experienced And Ready To Represent You
Our experience on both sides of sexual harassment and sexual discrimination cases provides comprehensive knowledge of how best to present these cases in court or while negotiating a resolution outside of court. To meet with one of our attorneys, call 201-488-7211 or complete our online contact form today.