Anaheim Sexual Harassment Lawyer

If you have faced instances of harassment or sexual abuse at work in Anaheim, California, you may be wondering if the case actually constitutes harassment. It’s important to note that while some cases may not be labeled as harassment under state or federal law, such as those that are isolated, offensive events, this does not change the fact that you may have experienced harm and can seek some other form of remediation in the workplace.

However, in order to know whether or not you have a legal basis for your harassment case in Anaheim, it can be useful to have knowledge of some general examples of harassment. The following examples include illegal workplace conduct that can provide the basis for a claim according to California and federal law:

• Sexual Innuendo. Innuendo is difficult to recognize in the workplace, as it typically involves backhanded or subtle commentary that implies something of a sexual nature but could be interpreted as innocent.
  
  
• Unnecessary or Unwanted Physical Contact. Any kind of unsolicited touching that continues to occur in the workplace is illegal. This can include hugging, touching the shoulders and lower back, and brushing the arms.
  
  
• Verbal Commentary of a Sexual Nature. Such commentary can include remarks about a coworker’s body, speculations about their sex life, and other inappropriate or unwanted comments.
  
  
• Written Communications of a Sexual Nature. Lewd written communication can be sent through many different mediums, including paper memos, email, text messages, social media, and work-based chat applications.
  
  
• Recounting Personal Sexual Experiences. Even if a coworker is talking about their own sexual encounters in detail without referring to the involvement of the coworker listening, this is considered to be harassment.
  
  
• Persistently Requesting Dates or Sexual Favors. Whether the relationship between two coworkers involves power imbalances or not, harassing a coworker to go on a date or perform certain sexual acts is against the law.
  
  
• Inappropriately Gazing. Otherwise known as leering, this can be difficult to document as it is nonverbal and could be objectively interpreted. However, there are ways to prove such instances of sexual harassment.
  
  
• Stalking. By law, a coworker cannot follow another coworker around in an unwanted manner within the workplace or during after-hours. Stalking can take place both physically and online.
  
  
• Indecently Exposing the Body. One coworker showing indecent parts of the body to another is strictly against the law. This applies both in and out of the workplace.
  
  
• Speculations on Sexual Orientation or Pregnancy Status. Speculating about whether or not someone is pregnant, what their gender or sexual orientation is, or supposing that they can do certain work tasks better or worse based on their gender is considered harassment.

The aforementioned examples of sexual harassment are not an exhaustive list, as such sexual abuse or harassment can take shape in many different forms. If you believe that you are being harassed at work, it is important to listen to your gut feeling. A sexual harassment lawyer from Diefer Law Group, P.C., can help you understand what your options are for handling the situation.

It’s critical to note that only going to management or human resources to handle a continuous sexual harassment case may not always be in the employee’s interest. These entities are often created to protect the reputation and legal interests of the organization that they are working for and not necessarily the employee who is facing harm. Therefore, it can be useful to talk with a workplace harassment attorney to optimally strategize before coming forward with a case.