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Sexual Harassment is Illegal in All Working Environments

New York and federal law both prohibit sexual harassment.  It is considered a form of sex discrimination.  Illegal sexual harassment occurs when unwelcome sexual conduct is used as the basis for making employment decisions or results in a hostile work environment because is its frequency or severity.

There is a wide range of conduct that can constitute sexual harassment, from obscene gestures, sexual comments, recurring sexual jokes, whether directed at the employee or someone else, to direct quid pro quo sexual harassment, where sexual favors are exchanged for favorable workplace decisions.  Individuals of any gender can be the victims of sexual harassment or the harassers.

It is widely believed that sexual harassment in the workplace is underreported, and anecdotally, the employment discrimination attorneys at Joseph & Norinsberg can say that many of our clients that have faced sexual harassment have been reluctant to come forward.  We’ve also noticed an even greater reluctance to come forward when the employee being harassed is in a particular type of working environment.

Where is Sexual Harassment Most Prevalent?

Both females and males in traditionally male-dominated professions tend to be more reluctant to come forward regarding sexual harassment. The construction and closely-related engineering industries are so notorious for the sexual harassment that occurs that it’s almost considered part of the job, and women feel compelled to wear more masculine or gender-neutral attire to avoid drawing attention to themselves.

More recently, the technology sector has been the subject of investigative scrutiny for the frat-like working environments, where harassing behavior, or conduct that borders it, is the norm.  Just last year, headlines exploded when Tinder, the ubiquitous dating app, was sued by one of its cofounders for sexual harassment.  Whitney Wolfe, co-founder of Tinder, sued her former partners and their new parent company after being pushed out of the company following ongoing harassment.

The conduct of Wolfe’s fellow cofounders was egregious.  Wolfe reported being told it was “too slutty” for her to be considered a cofounder of a dating app.  She was also chastised for hiring an attorney to help protect her from threats. Her fellow cofounder repeatedly sent her abusive and threatening texts during work hours despite her clear requests for him to stop.  The case eventually settled, reportedly for a little over $1 million, not surprising if you review some of the text messages sent to Wolfe, which are widely available online.

Reach Out to a Professional for Help

The attorneys at Joseph & Norinsberg understand how difficult it can be to stand up against sexual harassment, particularly in environments where it is the norm.  Yet, in these situations it is perhaps even more important that they do – the conduct is unlikely to cease without legal intervention and it helps change the environment for other current and future employees.  The attorneys at Joseph & Norinsberg have the experience needed to help you bring your sexual harassment case and ensure that you are protected from retaliation after.

Call us today at (212) JUSTICE or e-mail us at info@employeejustice.com and let us take over the fight for you.

2020-12-24T19:54:11+00:00February 23rd, 2015|Sexual Harassment|

Glowing Client Reviews

I am very amazed and pleased for the wonderful work Diego Barros did for me and our co-workers, speechless to see how wonderful and constructive everything work. First time with Diego Barros and i am totally impressed to have seen how great you have worked for all of us, i will totally recommend you to anybody who is in need of help without at doubt at all in all senses.

Mr. Diego helped me WIN and reach a great settlement. Wages recovered from lack of pay and serious misconducts from employer. He was very informative and easy to talk to every step of the way. Very happy with the settlement I received. He will go for the win and get you what you deserve! If you having problems with employment I give Mr. Diego my full recommendation to get your issues resolved.

Jon and his team are amazing. They fought every step of the way for me and my family. My case was handled with such care and concern and Jon’s honesty gave me great confidence in his ability to win my case.

To have Bennitta Joseph who wins high profile cases against companies like Delta is a win for any company. The fact that they equip entrepreneurs like me with tools to compete with fortune 500 is a competitive advantage. If you are a company that deals with people and wants to succeed, hiring her is a must!

This was the first and hopefully my last lawsuit and the process wasn’t what I thought. The patience shown to me (even when I became frustrated) was great. Everyone showed respect, sensitivity, and I’d recommend the firm to everyone. Losing my job set me behind on several bills, but I can now pay them. The situation I went through will help me going forward.

This was the first and hopefully my last lawsuit and the process wasn’t what I thought. The patience shown to me (even when I became frustrated) was great. Everyone showed respect, sensitivity, and I’d recommend the firm to everyone. Losing my job set me behind on several bills, but I can now pay them. The situation I went through will help me going forward.

Bennitta Joseph is committed to Justice. After be wronged at work in 2015, and discriminated against I felt very hopeless and wronged. I felt as though I had no hope standing up to a corporate giant, and no chance of winning. After explaining my case and sharing the facts Bennitta felt differently. She did warn me it would be a long and tough road and that I had to have thick skin. In my experience if you take Bennitta’s lead and trust her legal experience no case it too big, or too small for her…

Me trataron muy bien y estoy satisfecho con el servicio. Inicialmente llamé para unirme a un caso anterior, pero cuando ya era demasiado tarde para unirme a ese caso, estaban felices de luchar por un segundo caso. No pensé que podrían hacer que otro caso funcionara, pero lo hicieron. Aprendí cuáles son mis derechos en cuanto a salario mínimo y tiempo extra y puedo usar esta información en el futuro. Recomiendo mucho la oficina.

TESTIMONIALS

I am very amazed and pleased for the wonderful work Diego Barros did for me and our co-workers, speechless to see how wonderful and constructive everything work. First time with Diego Barros and i am totally impressed to have seen how great you have worked for all of us, i will totally recommend you to anybody who is in need of help without at doubt at all in all senses.
Ysaac G
Mr. Diego helped me WIN and reach a great settlement. Wages recovered from lack of pay and serious misconducts from employer. He was very informative and easy to talk to every step of the way. Very happy with the settlement I received. He will go for the win and get you what you deserve! If you having problems with employment I give Mr. Diego my full recommendation to get your issues resolved. 
D.F.
To have Bennitta Joseph who wins high profile cases against companies like Delta is a win for any company. The fact that they equip entrepreneurs like me with tools to compete with fortune 500 is a competitive advantage. If you are a company that deals with people and wants to succeed, hiring her is a must!
Karleen L.
This was the first and hopefully my last lawsuit and the process wasn’t what I thought.  The patience shown to me (even when I became frustrated) was great.  Everyone showed respect, sensitivity, and I’d recommend the firm to everyone.  Losing my job set me behind on several bills, but I can now pay them.  The situation I went through will help me going forward. 
Isaiah B.
I had an excellent experience with the firm and with Bennitta Joseph as my attorney. Everyone I dealt with was extremely courteous, friendly and very helpful. The settlement will help me financially as I look for a job.
Kate P.

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