Best Ohio Sexual Harassment Attorney Answer: Can men sue for sexual harassment? Can I file a sexual harassment lawsuit even though I haven’t been inappropriately touched? Does the type of job I do matter when it comes to sexual harassment?
Sexual harassment lawsuits can be deeply personal and sometimes difficult for employees to pursue. The employment attorneys at Spitz, The Employee’s Law Firm understand this, and have often blogged about the changes in sexual harassment law. (See What Can I Do If My Manager Is Sexually Harassing Me?; Can My Boss Fire Me If I Refuse His Sexual Advances?; Why Are Ohio Law Makers Making It Easier For Your Boss To Discriminate And Sexually Harass You?).
One common misconception about sexual harassment law is that harassment must be in the form of inappropriate touching, groping, grabbing or unwelcomed sexual advances. However, the law is clear that sexual harassment suits can be brought by employees offended by gender-based comments that don’t quite rise to the level of sexual advances.
Federally, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment. These provisions have been adopted in Ohio through Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4112.
Another misconception about sexual harassment law is that it somehow only applies to female victims, or that the harasser and the victim must be of the opposite sex. This is simply not true! (See Attorney: Can A Man Sue His Male Boss For Sexual Harassment?; Sexual Harassment: Men Are Protected Too?; and Can I Sue My Same Sex Boss For Sexual Harassment?). In fact, recent news out of New Jersey shows that harassment can exist in situations we wouldn’t normally think.
In Mendham Township, New Jersey, the former Mendham Township police chief, Steven Crawford, brought a lawsuit against the township alleging that various officials made “inappropriate statements to him concerning such matters as Crawford’s age, physique, out-of-office personal and family relationships, sexuality, sexual orientation, size of his genitals, morals and reputation as a law abiding citizen … and family orientation and desire to have children.” Some of these officials were also male. Crawford alleges that when he brought this to the township’s attention that his complaints were ignored.
To add another wrinkle to this case, Crawford claimed that these comments were made to him perhaps as retaliation after he had called a press conference to discuss allegations against his police department without consent of the township officials.
Recently, Crawford settled his lawsuit with Mendham Township and received $90,000 in damages. Crawford’s case demonstrates that sexual harassment can come in many different forms, whether the sexual comments are made as sexual advances or just as gender-based insults. The law protects all employees from sexual harassment, even if the employee is a high-profile a chief of police.
Sexual harassment is unlawful under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and similar Ohio laws. Sexual harassment is a form of gender discrimination. If you feel that you are being sexually harassed or are working in a sexually charged or hostile working environment, you should not wait to call the right attorney at 866-797-6040 to schedule a free and confidential consultation. At Spitz, The Employee’s Law Firm, you will meet with a sexual harassment lawyer/hostile work environment attorney to find out what your legal rights are and the best way to protect them. Sexual harrassment is a form of gender discrimination, and employers should be held accountable if they discriminate against female workers in any fashion – but particularly for sexual harrassment. It does not matter if you have been wrongfully fired or are still employed, there is no reason to wait to find out what your legal rights are and how to protect yourself from sexual harassment and gender discrimination.
Disclaimer:
The materials available at the top of this page and at this gender discrimination, wrongful termination, and sex harassment law website are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. If you are still asking “what should I do …”, “I’m being sexually harassed …” “my supervisor grabbed my…”, “my boss is touching…,” “I’ve been wrongfully terminated,” or “how do I …”, your best course is to contact an Ohio sexual harassment attorney/hostile work environment lawyer to obtain advice with respect to sexual harassment/hostile work environment questions or any particular employment law issue. Use and access to this employment law website or any of the links contained within the site do not create an attorney-client relationship. The legal opinions expressed at the top of this page or through this employment law website are the opinions of the individual lawyer and may not reflect the opinions of Spitz, The Employee’s Law Firm, Brian Spitz, or any individual attorney.