Employees have many rights that protect them from mistreatment in the workplace. These laws are designed to prevent discrimination or harassment and ensure that workers are not fired for reasons that are unlawful. Some of the most important protections afforded to employees, particularly those in California thanks to various state laws, are the right to be free from sexual harassment in the workplace and the right to be free from retaliation for exercising their rights.
Unfortunately, some employers simply feel that they are above the law, or that they can exert their own personal influences in order to treat employees the way that they feel the employees should be treated. If you are ever in a situation in which you feel your rights have been violated, you should not waste any time in seeking legal assistance to help you seek justice for your mistreatment.
A recent lawsuit filed in Gilroy, just south of San Francisco, alleges that a woman was the victim of unwanted advances from her supervisor. Not only did she refuse the advances, but she reported the behavior, expecting the mistreatment to stop. Instead, she was fired in what she claims was retaliation for reporting her supervisor. The lawsuit claims to have conducted an investigation showing how the supervisor made explicit comments and attempted to sexually harass the woman while the two of them were alone.
Employment is obviously extremely important to a great many people, which leads to an unfortunately large number of cases in which victims of discrimination or harassment do not report the incidents because they feel that they must grin and bear it for the sake of their jobs. The truth is that employees have rights, and they are encouraged to take advantage of them. If you are the victim of sexual assault or harassment at your place of work, do not hesitate to contact an attorney in order to take advantage of your rights.
Source: Gilroy Patch, “Gilroy Business Faces Lawsuit Over Allegations of Sexual Harassment,” Bea Karnes, Sept. 29, 2015