Sexual harassment is a serious matter; contrary to its sometimes light-hearted depiction in the media, sexual harassment often leads to grave emotional and financial distress. Aside from the damage caused by the harrassment itself, victims can lose their jobs, their professional standing, and suffer severe medical problems as a result: depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and related medical conditions have all been known to strike victims of sexual harassment. And no less damaging than those ills is the powerlessness often felt by the targets of harassment, the sense—often justified—that their problems aren’t being taken seriously. Attorney Shubin provides protection to sexually harassed employees both by filing discrimination charges, and using the law to protect against unlawful retaliation.

What You Should Know:

Title VII, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, and the Constitution provide protections to employees from both Hostile Work Environment and Quid Pro Quo sexual harassment.

Quid Pro Quo (“this for that”) harassment involves a supervisor threatening to fire or take other retaliatory action against an employee who refuses the employer’s or supervisor’s sexual advances.

Hostile Work Environment harassment is speech or conduct that is “severe or pervasive” enough to create a “hostile or abusive work environment” based on race, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or, in some jurisdictions, sexual orientation, political affiliation, citizenship status, marital status, or personal appearance, for the plaintiff and for a reasonable person.

It is illegal for an employer to retaliate against an employee who complains about illegal harassment.

What You Should Do:

Contact Attorney Shubin at once; there are short statutes of limitation regarding discrimination claims, so quick action is essential to a successful resolution of your case. Preserve any records of communication—emails, memoranda, phone messages—between you and your employer. You may wish to make copies to ensure that this important data is protected from destruction.