A jury has awarded a woman more than $13 million in back pay and damages in a sexual harassment lawsuit. While sexual harassment is one of the most well known forms of employment discrimination, it is not clearly defined. It is not a single instance of name-calling, a request for a date, or a leering look. Rather, in order to prove sexual harassment, you must show that you have been subjected to unwelcome conduct that creates a hostile environment based on your sex that is sufficiently severe and pervasive to alter the terms and conditions of your employment.
In this instance, the woman entered evidence of pervasive name calling
– one man called her “Big Girl”, belittling her 6-foot-tall
stature, another made obscene gestures, and a third dismissed her complaints
of harassment, saying that she was losing her mind. Rather than addressing
the discriminatory conduct as required by law, the harassment continued.
The woman endured the harassment for 6 years, and was ultimately fired
in retaliation to her complaints, the lawsuit alleged.
A jury agreed, and awarded the woman $13 million – $12.5 million of which was a punitive damage award.
At the Buckley Law Firm, our experienced Georgia sexual harassment attorneys have years of experience representing victims of work place harassment. We are dedicated to protecting employment rights in the workplace and fighting against discrimination. For more information, please contact our Georgia employment discrimination law firm for a confidential case evaluation.