The #MeToo movement has again brought to public attention an unfortunate reality that Connor & Sargent has been addressing for years — that even in this day and age, and even in seemingly sophisticated work environments, women (and sometimes men) are forced to contend with demeaning, threatening, and offensive behavior as they try to provide for themselves and their families. We have lengthy experience representing victims of sexual harassment across industries and professions, ranging from women working in the trades to women working in the tech industry. As the Weinstein debacle has shown, even powerful, high-achieving women have difficulty confronting mistreatment when their jobs are at stake. No woman, or man, should have their livelihood conditioned on tolerating mistreatment on the basis of their gender, or any other protected category. State and federal laws provide assurances that they do not. We understand the difficulties of confronting such mistreatment and have extensive experience assisting clients in doing so and preventing retaliation against them.
The most frequent harm suffered by victims of harassment is emotional distress, sexual harassment is often accompanied by discriminatory treatment in terms of promotions and other job opportunities. State and federal laws allow victims of sexual harassment to recover damages both for the emotional distress they have suffered and for any economic losses that can be proven. We have experience working with expert witnesses and treating medical practitioners to make clear the emotional cost of harassment, and economic experts to quantify past and future lost wage and benefits.
We understand that it is difficult to move forward with a current employer. We can discuss with you the process so that you feel comfortable ridding your work life of mistreatment you may have endured for years.
