Sexual harassment can cause an individual to feel taken advantage of in the workplace, but he or she has the right to take legal action against the harasser. In a recent outside the state of Indiana, a woman who previously worked for a water replenishment district decided to sue a city mayor for sexual harassment. She claimed that the male mayor harassed her while they were on a business trip together.
According to the woman, she and the mayor, along with other people, were going back to their hotel rooms. All of a sudden, the man allegedly forced himself aggressively on the woman. The woman said he actually backed her into her hotel room without her consent.
The woman said the man then started groping her and tried to take her clothing off. She said he also tried to have intercourse with her but passed out instead. She claimed that when they returned to work, he started to harass her as well as bully her at board meetings. In her suit, the woman alleged sexual harassment along with sexual battery, intentionally inflicting emotional distress and gender violence. She is seeking an unspecified amount in damages.
Employers are legally responsible for protecting their employees from sexual harassment in the workplace. When a person faces unwanted sexual advances at work in Indiana, he or she typically has the right to file a sexual harassment claim against the employer. Depending on the facts of the case, remedies might include back pay and/or other financial damages.
Source: mynewsla.com, “Sexual harassment lawsuit alleges Carson mayor ‘forced himself’ on woman“, Colleen Park, May 13, 2015
