New York Sexual Harassment Attorneys Representing Employees in Suffolk County
Nobody should have to experience sexual harassment in the workplace or retaliation for reporting sexual harassment on the job. At Ricotta & Marks, P.C., we regularly represent employees in sexual harassment lawsuits. The dedicated Suffolk County sexual harassment lawyers at Ricotta & Marks, P.C. are committed to helping employees seek appropriate remedies when they have been subjected to sexual harassment at work or when they have been demoted, terminated, or subject to other retaliatory actions after reporting sexual harassment or participating in a sexual harassment investigation.
What is Sexual Harassment?
Sexual harassment is unlawful as a form of sex discrimination under both state and federal law. The New York State Human Rights Law and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, including sexual harassment. The U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission (EEOC) explains that sexual harassment can include “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.” At the same time, it is critical to understand that sexual harassment does not necessarily have to be of a sexual nature. To be sure, the EEOC explains that unlawful sexual harassment “can include offensive remarks about a person’s sex,” such as “offensive comments about women in general.”
You should know that, although an employer can be liable for sexual harassment by a supervisor or coworker, many different parties can behave in a way that constitutes unlawful sexual harassment, such as:
- Employer;
- Manager or supervisor;
- Co-worker;
- Vendor;
- Customer; or
- Client.
Examples of Sexual Harassment
Unlawful sexual harassment can take many different forms. Some examples of sexual harassment provided by the New York Division of Human Rights include the following:
- Request for sexual favors, which can be accompanied by threats if you fail to comply (such as termination from your job or a demotion, for example);
- Obvious pressure for unwelcome sexual activities;
- Subtle pressure for unwelcome sexual activities;
- Verbal harassment that takes the form of sexual comments or comments about a person’s sex;
- Inappropriate physical contact; or
- Displaying lewd images.
As the New York Division of Human Rights explains, these examples can constitute unlawful harassment under the New York State Human Rights law and Title VII when one of the following is true:
- Submitting to sexual conduct is a term or condition of your employment (which is made clear either explicitly or implicitly);
- Submitting to the sexual conduct or behavior, or rejecting it, is used as a basis of an employment action (including promotion, demotion, or termination);
- Sexual conduct or behavior interferes with your work performance; or
- Sexual conduct or behavior creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.
Contact Our Suffolk County Sexual Harassment Lawyers for Assistance with Your Claim
If you have any concerns about sexual harassment in your Long Island workplace, or if you need assistance filing a sexual harassment claim, an experienced Suffolk County sexual harassment lawyer at our firm can begin working with you today. Our firm has years of experience representing employees in a wide variety of employment discrimination claims, and we are committed to helping you fight unlawful discrimination in the workplace. Contact Ricotta & Marks, PC or call us today at (347) 464-8694.