Sexual Harassment
If you need advice about your right to protection or compensation for sexual harassment in the workplace, contact a sexual harassment attorney at Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik for a free evaluation of your case and advice about your legal options. Our practice is focused on state and federal employment law, and our sexual harassment lawyers can help you understand your rights and pursue your legal remedies.
San Francisco, San Diego & Los Angeles Attorneys
Nobody should have to put up with sexual harassment at work. Our harassment attorneys in San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose represent both women and men on complaints concerning both kinds of sexual harassment: quid pro quo and hostile work environment.
Quid Pro Quo & Hostile Work Environment
Quid pro quo — a Latin phrase meaning “this for that” — is the term used to describe sexual harassment that involves the actual, requested or implied pressure for sexual favors exchanged for continued employment, promotion or getting the job in the first place. As a practical matter, quid pro quo harassment will occur in a workplace relationship of unequal status or power, where the victim feels pressure to yield to a superior’s demands.
The other kind of sexual harassment, hostile work environment, can be created by supervisors, peers, subordinates or even third parties, with or without the knowledge or tolerance of management. Under California law, the victim of sexual harassment has an obligation to report ongoing problems with offensive remarks or e-mails, comments about appearance or dress, inappropriate touching, homophobic abuse, or explicit sex-themed displays in common areas or a co-worker’s cubicle.
The company is then responsible for investigating the complaint and taking steps to correct the conditions that create a hostile work environment. Our harassment lawyers know how to evaluate sexual harassment charges, review the integrity and effectiveness of the employer’s investigation and remediation process, and assess the strengths of an employee’s legal claims for compensation, severance or even constructive discharge damages.
Our sexual harassment attorneys also know how to protect our clients from employer retaliation for reporting sexual harassment issues, taking administrative or legal action to stop it, or for supporting a co-worker’s sexual harassment complaint.
Contacting a Sexual Harassment Lawyer
Not every offensive remark or incident rises to the level of a workplace rights violation, but patterns of offensive behavior generally will. To learn how experienced and committed attorneys can help you understand your rights as a worker in a hostile workplace environment or quid pro quo situation, contact the sexual harassment lawyers at Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik for a free consultation in San Francisco, San Diego or San Jose.
