Being taken advantage of sexually in an Indiana workplace may make a person feel as though he or she lacks value, thus decreasing his or her quality of life. One woman in another state said the mayor of the city for which she used to work sexually harassed her repeatedly and eventually terminated her wrongfully. She has since filed a sexual harassment suit against both the mayor and the city.
According to the lawsuit, the mayor allegedly told her he would care for her if she gave him sexual favors. The woman claims to have had sexual contact with the mayor because she was afraid she would end up losing her Public Works Department job. However, she later told him she would not have an affair with him. At that time, she was fired.
The woman said the mayor also made unwelcome comments and sexually suggestive comments that were offensive. For instance, she said the he asked her to crawl beneath his desk. The mayor is currently being investigated by a police department for allegations related to sexual favors and official misconduct, as a few other females had claimed that he sexually harassed them as well.
Employers in Indiana have a duty to prevent their workers from being sexually harassed verbally or physically. Illegal sexual harassment also includes making sexual advances to which a worker must succumb in order to keep his or her job or be promoted. Victims of sexual harassment in Indiana have the right to pursue civil claims against their employers in particular circumstances; a successfully fought case can potentially result in remedies such as monetary damages.
Source: wdrb.com, “Former city employee files sexual harassment lawsuit against Shepherdsville Mayor Scott Ellis“, Jason Riley, June 26, 2015
