Sexual Harassment Lawyers in New York City

The best evidence of our "trial-ready" philosophy is the success of our clients.

The Landmark Hospital Verdict: $15 Million for Janet Bianco

In the historic case of Bianco v. Flushing Hospital Medical Center, we represented a plaintiff subjected to persistent sexual harassment by an attending physician.

• The Challenge: The core of the case rested on whether the doctor’s misconduct could be legally pinned on the hospital. Under New York law, an employer is only liable if it knew about the conduct and failed to act. Proof of the medical director's prior knowledge was the key to overcoming the hospital's defense.
• The Turning Point: We proved that a high-level medical director witnessed the harassment and failed to act, establishing that the hospital "acquiesced" in the misconduct.
• The Verdict: A Queens jury awarded Janet Bianco $15 million in damages.

Sexual Harassment in the Modern New York Workplace

Sexual harassment can include unwelcome verbal, physical, or visual conduct connected to a person’s sex or gender. Examples include sexual comments or jokes, unwanted touching, sexual requests, explicit images, suggestive messages, gender-based insults, sexual rumors, coercion, and unwanted romantic or sexual attention.

For employees in New York, harassment can also intersect with power dynamics, immigration status, and fear of losing much-needed income. Workers in restaurants, healthcare, retail, and public-sector jobs often report that supervisors or high-value clients use their position to pressure them into silence. Understanding that the law protects you even if you did not immediately report, or if you tried to “go along” at first, is a critical step in deciding whether to speak with a sexual harassment attorney in New York for clear guidance about your options.

Forms of Unlawful Workplace Harassment

The applicable legal theory depends on what occurred, who was involved, and which federal, state, or city law applies.

Claims we handle include:

• Quid Pro Quo Harassment: A supervisor links sexual conduct or demands to hiring, continued employment, compensation, assignments, promotions, or protection from negative consequences.
• Hostile Work Environment Harassment: Pervasive offensive jokes, unwanted touching, or the display of sexually explicit materials.
• Third-Party Harassment: A client, customer, vendor, contractor, or other non-employee engages in harassment, and the employer’s knowledge and response create legal concerns.
• Retaliation: An employer takes adverse action after a worker reports harassment, opposes unlawful conduct, or participates in an investigation.
• Digital Harassment: Harassment occurs through texts, Slack, email, video platforms, or other employment-related communications.
• Coercive Workplace Relationships: A relationship described as consensual raises concerns because of supervisory power, pressure, or later workplace treatment.
• Public-Sector Harassment: A teacher, government employee, or other public worker faces harassment or retaliation within a workplace governed by additional procedures.

Under New York State law, harassment no longer needs to be severe or pervasive to be actionable. Conduct that rises above petty slights or trivial inconveniences may be actionable, depending on the facts and available defenses.

Sexual Harassment Claims for Teachers & Public Employees

We represent New York teachers and public employees who face harassment by supervisors and retaliation after reporting it, including disciplinary charges brought through 3020-a proceedings.

Teachers and public employees in New York often have to navigate multiple systems at once: their union, internal agency procedures, the New York State Division of Human Rights, and sometimes the NYC Commission on Human Rights. Missteps in one forum can affect your rights in another, so it is important to understand how timelines, notices, and grievance rules interact. We help clients evaluate whether to pursue internal complaints, external administrative charges, or court filings first, based on their role, risk of retaliation, and long-term career goals.

Because public employment in New York frequently involves civil service protections and tenure rules, harassment complaints can quickly turn into disciplinary actions that feel retaliatory. We work with clients to gather documentation, witness statements, and prior performance records that show how treatment changed after they spoke up.