News / Politics
Louisiana Settles Federal Sexual Harassment Lawsuit
An unnamed woman, who was an office administrator, accused the Department of discrimination after she reported that a supervisor subjected her to inappropriate comments, which escalated to a sexual assault, according to the Associated Press. The Justice Department alleges that at least four other employees knew about the sexual harassment, but failed to report the abuse.
As sexual harassment attorneys know people are often afraid to report harassment because they feel their jobs may be in jeopardy. Firing an employee for reporting harassment is called retaliation. One the harassment was reported a spokeswoman for the Department of Public Safety and Corrections Pam Laborde said the agency was “very quick and very swift to act.”
The person accused of sexual assault and harassment resigned in 2008 before disciplinary action was taken. The state has agreed to pay the woman $50,000 in damages. Victims of workplace harassment can hire a sexual harassment lawyer to seek compensation for their emotional suffering or for wages lost because of retaliation.
Workplace sexual harassment is detrimental to all employees because of the hostility the behavior creates. If the accused’s actions go unaddressed they can escalate and affect numerous employees. A sexual harassment attorney can give the victim the voice they need to speak out about their harassment.
