New York Sexual Harassment Lawyer Blog

The star of the MTV reality show, "The Hills," is claiming that the creator of the show sexually harassed her. The claim centers on the show's creator inappropriately touching her during a photo shoot promoting the television program.

The issue reiterates the significance that sexual harassment need not just be by words alone. Inappropriate physical conduct such as touching, groping, or grabbing, which is offensive and or unwelcome can constitute sexually harassing behavior.

The full article can be found here.

Former New York Congressman Eric Massa is now facing a complaint of sexual harassment from a male employee. Massa, who recently resigned in connection to an ethics probe, has also been subject to reports of his abrasive behavior including groping individuals and using inappropriate language.

This matter raises several significant issues. The first is that it reflects the increasing number of claims of sexual harassment made by men. The other issue is that sexual harassment and other kinds of employment discrimination are prevalent at even the highest levels of our government.

Additional information related to this issue can be found at http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20002408-503544.html

The trial in the sexual harassment and retaliation case brought by former New York 1 News anchor Adele Sammarco has begun in Federal Court in Brooklyn. Ms. Sammarco claims that she was subjected to a hostile, sexually charged environment in which the male employees maintained a "boys's club" at the expense of the female employees.

Ms. Sammarco also claims that she was terminated after she had complained about the sexual conduct of a co-worker. The trial has just begun and individuals have begun to take the stand and testify. We hope to report on the outcome of this case as it moves forward.

Additional information can be found at http://www.1010wins.com/Fmr--NY1-Reporter-Takes-Stand-in-Harassment-Lawsui/6804419

A former employee of a well known real estate company claims the company president was obsessed with employees’ weight and he faced discrimination on the job because he was overweight. Plaintiff alleges that his supervisor made comments that he was “too fat” and his weight had “ballooned” since he began working for the company.

Employees of a major international pharmaceutical company were in federal court in New York City this week for the trial of their class action sexual discrimination case filed on behalf of 5,600 employees.

It is anticipated that employee testimony will reveal how management pressured one employee to get an abortion, and that during training sessions, management encouraged women not to become pregnant while working for the company.

Plaintiffs have requested damages of $54 million in back pay, based on evidence that women in sales positions have been receiving an average of $105 less per month than men in comparable jobs.

The Wall Street Journal reports that since the start of the recession, a growing number of sexual harassment complaints have stemmed from men. Men filed 16.4% of all sexual harassment claims, or 2,094 claims, in fiscal 2009; this was an increase from 15.4% or 1,869 claims in fiscal 2006. Employment lawyers say that the subject of claims have increasingly been “locker room” type behavior which includes vulgar comments and horseplay with sexual connotations.

The increase in male sexual harassment claims coincides with a recession which has affected men more than women. Claims filed by men rose more in some states with higher than average unemployment rates. In states such as Michigan, which was dramatically affected by the recession, claims filed by men increased to 26.6% in 2009 from 16.6% in 2007. California also saw a dramatic increase over the same period of time.

A female psychologist in Long Island, New York has been sued by her former office manager for sexual harassment. The complaint filed in Federal Court in the Eastern District of New York states that the therapist subjected her female office manager to a hostile environment as a result of the pervasive sexually charged comments made to her during her employment.

This case reiterates the fact that sexual harassment need not be perpetrated upon the opposite gender, rather a man can sexually harass another male, and a female can sexually harass another female.

The family of a deceased construction worker has decided to continue bringing a $20 million sexual harassment against her former employers, JP Morgan Chase, Plaza Construction and Total Safety Consulting, failed to respond to her numerous complaints of harassment on the job. The woman was subjected to harassment on the job from 2007 onward, when an elevator operator began to paw her and proposition her. When she repeatedly rejected the elevator operator, he turned nasty telling her that “This is a man’s world, not a place for women to work.”

Women are a rarity in construction, making up only one in every ten employees. After complaining numerous times to her supervisors, the woman was told that if the operator was disciplined, his union would make waves. Eventually she was removed from the job only 2 months after beginning, which resulted in depression so severe that a workman’s compensation judge ruled it a work injury.

Tragically, the woman died in a house fire in October 2009. Her two daughters have continued the lawsuit in her name to continue her legacy of fighting for what she believed in.