Virginia: Sexual Abuse – a Lawyer’s Harassment

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The Safety Report Spring 2012 issue covers “SEXUAL HARASSMENT: STILL A PROBLEM IN THE WORKPLACE”. A form of sexual abuse, it is reported by a recent AOL Jobs Survey that “one in six persons has been sexually harassed in the workplace” and that of those victims “43 percent say it was by a manager” – yet 65% of sexual harassment victims report it. Id. at 16.

Prohibited workplace sexual harassment occurs “when one employee makes continued, unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, to another employee against his or her wishes.” See, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. By Federal law, victims of such job-related sexual abuse can “recover damages for loss of income, emotional pain and mental anguish, inconvenience, loss of enjoyment of life and other damages”.Id. at 17.

In certain instances of work-related sexual harassment, Virginia law may entitle the victim additional restitution. Mr. Waterman handles select special cases like these.