Sexual harassment on the job is inexcusable. Whether the employer is a government or private entity, whether it is in California or out of state, an employer must take measures to protect its employees from this kind of injustice. If an employer has failed to protect a worker from sexual harassment, the worker can take action to seek justice.
Recently, a former employee of the San Francisco Utilities Commission received a sizeable settlement relating to the sexual advances and other inappropriate behavior that her senior male colleagues reportedly directed at her. The woman alleged that one of her colleagues provided her video footage of himself performing erotic acts. She also claimed that multiple men at her workplace repeatedly solicited her with requests that she perform sexual acts on them, including oral sex. On at least one instance, she claimed she received threats that she would be marked absent if she did not agree to perform such acts. The woman is now to receive $350,000 in settlement funds.
This is not the only scandal that the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has been embroiled in recently. The woman’s claims came forward in the wake of a huge scandal at the utility company, which involved workers watching pornography and gambling on the job. The investigation into this scandal is ongoing.
California courts do not take sexual harassment violations lightly. However, every case is different, and certain kinds of allegations brought forward can be difficult to prove. Still, this is no reason for anyone to put up with this egregious type of abuse. Victims do have the right to stand up for their rights and put a stop to this kind of mistreatment.
Source: San Francisco Examiner, “Ex-SFPUC worker to receive $350K settlement in sexual harassment lawsuit,” Joshua Sabatini, June 18, 2013