Hostile Work Environment Archives - Page 2 of 2

Rumors About Sleeping With Her Boss Nets One Employee A Viable Sexual Harassment Claim

Kollman & Saucier

02/12/2019

Employment Discrimination, Hostile Work Environment, Sexual Harassment, Virginia Employment Law

In today's #MeToo age, it is hard not to know that sexual harassment is wrong and illegal. This recent case of unlawful sexual harassment comes with an admittedly unexpected lens. Rumors that a female employee is "sleeping her way to the top" is the latest version of prohibited sexual harassment in workplace. While endless movies, TV shows and real life certainly contain examples of others discussing by the proverbial water cooler how so-and-so...

Darrell VanDeusen

11/14/2018

Employer Liability, Hostile Work Environment, Litigation, Race Discrimination

Over my career, I have dealt with my share of “you can’t make this up” situations. The kind where outrageously offensive or harassing workplace behavior has occurred, and the employer needs to – and wants to – figure out who did it and take steps to stop it from happening again. Indeed, that’s one of the benefits of representing management: you can have the chance to assist in helping change culture (even if that “culture” appears...

Kollman & Saucier

11/29/2017

Hostile Work Environment, Sexual Harassment

I do not think a day has passed since Harvey Weinstein's ouster that we don't learn about a new public figure-newscaster-actor-politician-other notable name who has been accused of sexual harassment (or similar behavior) and lost his job. Today, I woke to news of Matt Lauer's termination from NBC. A few moments ago I received an email advising that Garrison Keillor has been accused of inappropriate behavior and that Minnesota Public Radio will be...

Kollman & Saucier

10/01/2017

Hostile Work Environment, Race Discrimination

In Castleberry v. STI Group, No. 16-3131 (3d Cir. 2017), the Third Circuit Court of Appeals held that a manager's one-time use of a racial slur, combined with his threat to fire a Black employee, could be enough to support a Section 1981 hostile work environment claim. Two Black laborers sued their staffing agency (STI) and the client location where they were placed (Chesapeake Energy Group) based on their treatment at Chesapeake. They were not...

Kollman & Saucier

01/12/2017

Hostile Work Environment, Race Discrimination

An employer can avoid liability for one employee’s harassment of another employee if it takes prompt remedial action to address that harassment. One way to do this is for an employer to conduct an investigation, counsel the involved employees, and/or discipline the harassing employee. On the other hand, telling an employee who complains about racial harassment to “shut up, n***er” is not the right way to address harassment complaints....

Kollman & Saucier

10/30/2015

Employment Discrimination, Hostile Work Environment, Sexual Harassment

In a recent decision from a Mississippi federal court, Nissan avoided liability on a former employee’s sexual harassment claim because she could not show that her employer acted negligently in responding to her complaints. Davenport v. Nissan N. Am., Inc., No. 3:14-CV-00671-CWR-LRA (S.D. Miss. Oct. 22, 2015). From August 2012 until January 2014, Joslyne Davenport worked as a production associate at a Nissan manufacturing plant in Canton,...

Kollman & Saucier

10/28/2015

Employment Discrimination, Hostile Work Environment, National Origin, Religious Discrimination

Reversing a decision it described as “replete with error,” the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has revived an employee’s claims of retaliation, and religion- and national origin-based hostile work environment. Huri v. Office of the Chief Judge of the Circuit Cir. Ct. of Cook Cnty., No. 12-2217 (7th Cir. Oct. 21, 2015). Fozyia Huri, a Muslim from Saudi Arabia, began working for the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois in 2000. Huri...

Kollman & Saucier

05/14/2015

Employment Discrimination, Hostile Work Environment, Retaliation

Sometimes, once is enough. In a just issued en banc decision that overturns established circuit precedent, the Fourth Circuit held that a single workplace incident was sufficiently severe to trigger Title VII's protection. In Boyer-Liberto v. Fontainebleau Corp., 4th Cir. No 13-1473 (May 7, 2015), an African-American hotel worker was fired after she complained that a white employee had called her a “porch monkey” twice within 24 hours....

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Rumors About Sleeping With Her Boss Nets One Employee A Viable Sexual Harassment Claim

When is Enough Harassment Investigation Enough?

Sexual Harassment, Holiday Parties, Handbooks, and other End-of-Year Musings

When One Word Is Too Much... Single Racial Slur May Support Hostile Work Environment Claim

Former Chipotle Employee To Get Trial on Racial Harassment Claim

Prompt Investigation Helps Employer Avoid Liability On Harassment Claim

Name Calling, Prayer Circle, and Social Shunning Help Revive Discrimination Claims

New Fourth Circuit Standard: Single Incident Sufficient For Title VII Hostile Workplace Harassment Claim

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Category: Hostile Work Environment

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