Hostile Work Environment Category Archives — New York Employment Attorney Blog Published by New York Employment Lawyers

October 16, 2018

New York City Public Pension Funds Join State’s Sexual Harassment Lawsuit

New York employment discrimination laws (as well as those around the country) tend to focus on the actions of individual managers, supervisors, or others; or on individual discriminatory policies or practices by employers. This approach is useful and necessary for obtaining justice for individual employees who have endured sexual harassment. It is proving, however, to be insufficient for addressing broader systemic problems that enable and contribute to sexual harassment and employment discrimination in the first place. Liability for damages in a sexual harassment lawsuit might not provide incentive for widespread reforms in companies with vast resources. Earlier this year, the State of New York tried a different approach. Instead of acting in its capacity as an enforcer of employment discrimination laws, it acted in its capacity as a corporate shareholder, alleging that a former CEO accused of sexual misconduct breached his fiduciary duties. New York City’s public pension funds later joined the lawsuit alongside the state funds. DiNapoli et al v. Wynn et al, No. A-18-770013-B, verif. am. complaint (Nev. Dist. Ct., Clark Cty., Mar. 23, 2018).

Under employment statutes like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL), unlawful discrimination on the basis of sex includes sexual harassment in two broad categories. Quid pro quo sexual harassment consists of demands for sexual activity in some form as a condition of obtaining or maintaining employment. Hostile work environment involves unwelcome sexual conduct, ranging from sexual jokes or remarks to outright sexual contact or assault, that is so pervasive that it interferes with an employee’s ability to do their job. These laws allow employees to file complaints, followed by lawsuits, seeking a variety of damages.

Lawsuits for employment discrimination can lead to changes within a company, such as when a public agency like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission requires new company policies, subject to monitoring and review, as part of a settlement. Unlike this type of lawsuit, which imposes change from the outside, shareholder derivative suits are brought by corporate insiders as a means of enforcing a corporation’s rights or protecting its interests. See N.Y. Bus. Corp. L. § 626. A lawsuit brought under Title VII or the NYCHRL typically casts the employer on the side of the alleged harasser, seeking to hold the company liable for the actions of its agent. A shareholder derivative suit arguably allows a company to distance itself from the alleged acts of individuals. It is no substitute for a lawsuit that allows an aggrieved employee to recover damages directly, but it could be a useful method of demonstrating that corporations will not tolerate sexual harassment among their executives.
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October 5, 2018

Superhero Sequel Will Be First Film to Apply New Industry Guidelines on Sexual Harassment

by Phillips & Associates

For the past year, the #MeToo movement has sought to shine a light on workplace sexual harassment. It has shown that, despite laws like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, sexual harassment in New York City and across the country remains a major problem. While lawmakers and legal advocates examine the laws addressing sexual harassment, leaders in various industries are exploring ways to address the issue before the courts must get involved. The Producers Guild of America (PGA), a trade association representing film and television producers, issued new guidelines on sexual harassment in January 2018. The guidelines do not have the force of law, but they represent best practices recommended for both PGA members and others. The PGA also announced that Wonder Woman 1984, the sequel to the 2017 film Wonder Woman, would be the first production to adopt the new guidelines. If you have questions about how you’ve been treated at your job, speak to a New York sexual harassment attorney.

Experience unfortunately indicates that existing antidiscrimination statutes can only provide so much protection against sexual harassment. Title VII prohibits sex discrimination and sexual harassment in employment, but the legal definition of “employment” can exclude a wide range of people and jobs. The entertainment industry, where #MeToo began, offers an example of this problem. Many of the alleged acts of sexual harassment did not involve a specific job, such as a role in a film. Instead they were often presented as a way for individuals, usually actresses but also actors, to “pay their dues” in Hollywood.

The PGA’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Guidelines, first published on January 19, 2018, are intended to help movie and television producers respond to incidents of sexual harassment, and prevent sexual harassment from occurring in the first place. They provide definitions of the two main forms of sexual harassment recognized by law as unlawful sex discrimination: quid pro quo harassment and hostile work environment. The guidelines instruct producers, “first and foremost,” to comply with all relevant state and federal laws. From there, they recommend “in-person anti-sexual harassment (ASH) training” for all cast and crew members, prior to the start of production, that focuses on “a culture of respect that starts at the top.” Producers should provide clear systems for reporting alleged harassment, investigate all claims, and prevent retaliation.

September 4, 2018

How a Group of Women in New York Coined the Term “Sexual Harassment” Just Over 40 Years Ago

by Phillips & Associates

In New York City, sexual harassment is viewed as unlawful sex discrimination under federal, state, and municipal law. The past year has seen numerous instances of workplace sexual harassment finally seeing some measure of attention and, in some cases, justice. For all the progress that we have seen recently, it is worth remembering that nationwide recognition of sexual harassment as a violation of antidiscrimination laws first occurred just over thirty years ago, and that the term “sexual harassment” itself is barely forty years old. A group of women in New York coined the term in 1975, in support of a woman who quit her job because of a male supervisor’s alleged unwelcome sexual advances.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of several factors, including sex. A series of court decisions have expanded the definition of “discrimination on the basis of sex” to include two sexual harassment scenarios. First, “quid pro quo sexual harassment” involves demands for some sort of sexual activity by a supervisor or manager, either as a condition for obtaining employment or as a condition for continued employment or employment benefits. Second, a “hostile work environment” occurs when a worker is subjected to unwanted sexual conduct, ranging from jokes or comments to outright assault, which interferes with their ability to perform their job duties. It took years of advocacy and litigation to get legal recognition of these claims.

Before sexual harassment had a name, women had no clear way to push back against such behavior by bosses and coworkers. The television show Mad Men might have been a “historical drama,” but the history it portrayed is very recent. In 1975, a woman quit her job at Cornell University after enduring years of unwanted advances from her boss, including alleged acts that might be deemed sexual assault today. She filed for unemployment benefits, but was denied after the university asserted that she quit for “personal reasons.” A group of women employed by the university rallied to her defense, founding a group called Working Women United. The group held meetings at which women shared their workplace experiences. The term “sexual harassment” appeared out of these meetings.

August 27, 2018

How Tipping Could Contribute to the Risk of Sexual Harassment for New York City Restaurant Workers

by Phillips & Associates

Workers in the restaurant industry, particularly servers, depend on tips for their income. Under both state and federal law, employers are not required to pay the full minimum wage amount to employees who customarily receive tips. Instead, they pay a “tip credit” that, when combined with a worker’s tip income, totals at least the minimum wage. This can put restaurant workers in a vulnerable position. A restaurant server may worry about lost income if they object to harassment by a customer. A report published by Mic in late 2017 examined reports of sexual harassment by tipped restaurant employees. It found that restaurant workers have one of the highest rates of reported sexual harassment.

The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) defines a “tipped employee” as one who “customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips.” 29 U.S.C. § 203(t). Tipped employees’ compensation is a combination of wages paid by their employer and tips paid by customers. An employer of a tipped employee must pay a minimum wage, or tip credit, of $2.13 per hour, plus any additional amount needed to raise the employee’s total compensation to the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. Id. at §§ 203(m), 206(a)(1)(C); 29 C.F.R. § 531.59. New York City mandates higher minimum wages than the FLSA. N.Y. Lab. L. § 652(1)(a). For tipped employees in New York City restaurants, the minimum wage as of December 31, 2017 is $8.00 per hour for employers with ten or fewer employees, and $8.65 per hour for those with eleven or more employees. The tip credit is $4.00 and $4.35, respectively.

Laws at the federal, state, and city level in New York City prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sex. This includes sexual harassment in situations where unwelcome and pervasive sexual conduct creates a hostile work environment. A claim could arise from a single incident, if it is severe enough, but most hostile work environment claims are based on an ongoing pattern of behavior. The conduct that gives rise to a hostile work environment could come from one or more supervisors, coworkers, or customers. If, as is the case in the Mic report mentioned above, customers are responsible for the alleged hostile work environment, the employer must have known about the conduct and failed to act in order to be liable.
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August 13, 2018

Investigation Reveals Extent of Sexual Harassment Against Hotel Maintenance Workers in New York City and Nationwide

by Phillips & Associates

As the nation pays greater attention to sexual harassment in the workplace, hotel maintenance employees are finally gaining a platform to talk about what they have endured. Several recent high-profile lawsuits have sought to address the alleged sexual harassment of housekeeping workers by hotel managers and other employees. Many housekeepers face another problem, however—sexual harassment by hotel guests. Employers may be held liable for acts perpetrated by customers, but New York City sexual harassment plaintiffs must prove that the employer knew or should have known about the harassment and failed to act. This can be particularly difficult in the context of hotel maintenance, in which employees may find themselves alone with a guest in the guest’s room. Measures like panic buttons may help address the issue, but the sheer scope of the problem suggests that much work is left to be done. Legal News Gavel

Sexual harassment is considered a form of sex discrimination under statutes like the New York City Human Rights Law and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. One of the main forms of sexual harassment covered by these laws occurs when unwelcome sexual conduct creates a hostile work environment that interferes with an employee’s ability to do their job. In order to assert a claim for a hostile work environment created by one or more customers, a plaintiff must be able to “show that the employer either knew (actual notice) or should have known (constructive notice) of the harassment and failed to take immediate and appropriate corrective action.” Watson v. Blue Circle, Inc., 324 F. 3d 1252, 1259 (11th Cir. 2003).

The hospitality industry presents additional challenges for plaintiffs. In a practical sense, identifying guests who sexually harass hotel employees can be difficult because of “plausible deniability”—it is usually the employee’s word against the guest’s. This makes investigations difficult and puts a hotel in a position of choosing between an employee and a paying customer. In a legal sense, hotels and other lodging-related businesses have a particularly high duty of care toward their customers. “A hotel…has a duty to use due care to protect its guests against foreseeable hazards, including criminal acts.” Shadday v. Omni Hotels Mgt. Corp., 477 F. 3d 511, 512 (7th Cir. 2007).

July 19, 2018

Lawsuit Alleges Sexual Harassment, Retaliation by New York City Airport Security Contractor

by Phillips & Associates

Legal News Gavel Numerous employment statutes protect workers from employment discrimination in New York City on the basis of various protected categories. These laws’ prohibitions on sex or gender discrimination include sexual harassment in certain forms, including the use of sexual activity as a condition of employment, and patterns of sexually-oriented behavior that create a hostile work environment. These laws also prohibit employers from retaliating against employees who assert their legal rights. A lawsuit filed late last year alleges that supervisors at a security company, which was contracted to provide services at JFK International Airport in Queens, engaged in unwelcome and offensive conduct, including allegedly forcing the plaintiff to watch live video feeds of other employees engaging in sexual activity. Powell v. Allied Universal Security Services et al, No. 1:17-cv-06133, complaint (E.D.N.Y., Oct. 20, 2017). Several more employees have reportedly joined the case as plaintiffs in 2018.

The New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL) prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of gender, which includes sexual harassment. N.Y.C. Admin. Code § 8-107(1)(a). At the state level, the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL) contains similar provisions. N.Y. Exec. L. § 296(1)(a). Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a federal statute, also provides similar protections, but it is not the only federal law that covers hostile work environment claims. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 specifically addresses racial discrimination in various areas, including employment, and prohibits “impairment” of “the full and equal benefit of all laws and proceedings…as is enjoyed by white citizens.” 42 U.S.C. § 1981.

The lead plaintiff in Powell worked for the defendant at JFK Airport for four years, according to her complaint. She alleges that she was given a choice between “hav[ing] sex with male supervisors and get[ting] ahead,” or “refus[ing] and be[ing] relentlessly harassed and retaliated against.” Powell, complaint at 1. She states that she “chose the latter,” id., and therefore faced discrimination based on race and gender, followed by retaliation for reporting the discrimination.
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June 22, 2018

Bill in New York State Legislature Addresses Fashion Industry Sexual Harassment

by Phillips & Associates

ModelsCatwalk Over the past year, countless people have come forward with accounts of sexual harassment in the workplace. Known as the #MeToo movement, it began in the entertainment industry, and has expanded to include many other industries and professions. Fashion models have described their experiences with harassment at photo shoots, fashion shows, and other events in New York City. Sexual harassment is covered by laws prohibiting sex discrimination in employment, but the fashion industry presents challenges under laws like the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL). These laws generally apply to “employees.” Many who work in fashion are considered to be independent contractors. In October 2017, an Assemblywoman from Queens introduced A08572, the “Models’ Harassment Protection Act” (MHPA). This bill would amend the NYSHRL to include provisions specifically applying to the types of sexual harassment that models often experience, and to account for the employment relationship between model and designers, photographers, and others.

The U.S. Supreme Court established that the prohibition on sex discrimination in employment under federal law includes sexual harassment. Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, 477 U.S. 57 (1986). New York courts have made the same determination with regard to the NYSHRL. See, e.g. Belle Ctr. v. Human Rights Div., 221 A.D.2d 44, 49-50 (N.Y. App. Div., 4th Dept. 1996).

Plaintiffs can allege two types of sexual harassment under these laws. Quid pro quo sexual harassment occurs when a “supervisor…expressly or tacitly link[s] tangible job benefits to the acceptance or rejection of sexual advances,” regardless of how the plaintiff responds to said advances. Id. at 50. Hostile work environment occurs when pervasive and unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature “alter[s] the conditions of the [plaintiff’s] employment.” Id. Neither theory of sexual harassment requires proof of economic loss, but a quid pro quo claim requires “proof of linkage between the offensive conduct and decisions affecting employment.” Id. at 50-51.
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June 11, 2018

Title IX Complaints Allege Sexual Harassment by Professor During Research Trips in Antarctica

by Phillips & Associates

Legal News Gavel Sexual harassment is an unlawful form of sex discrimination under employment statutes in New York City and around the country. It is often a result of an individual taking advantage of their power or authority in the workplace over a subordinate. It could take the form of demands for sexual activity of some sort as a condition of employment, or a pattern of unwanted sexual remarks or advances. In either case, the alleged harasser relies to a large extent on the alleged victim’s inability to speak out directly against the behavior. Statutes like the New York City Human Rights Law and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 allow individuals who have experienced unlawful New York sexual harassment to file an administrative complaint, followed by a civil lawsuit. Some scenarios in which sexual harassment may occur, however, are not “workplaces” under the meaning of laws like Title VII. Sexual harassment can occur in academic settings, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 provides recourse in those situations. In late 2016, several former graduate students complained of sexual harassment by a professor. An internal investigation by the university resulted in the professor’s dismissal a year later. The story made headlines largely because the alleged harassment did not occur in a classroom or laboratory, but instead during research trips to Antarctica.

When sexual harassment occurs in an educational setting, employment anti-discrimination statutes might not apply. Title IX prohibits discrimination by certain educational institutions on the basis of sex. 20 U.S.C. § 1681(a). Federal funding is the main factor determining whether Title IX applies to a particular educational institution. A series of U.S. Supreme Court decisions have established that Title IX allows civil claims for sexual harassment by teachers, professors, or other employees against students, provided that the school administration knew about the alleged harassment and failed to take appropriate action. Franklin v. Gwinnett County Public Schools, 503 U.S. 60 (1992); Gebser v. Lago Vista Independent School Dist., 524 U.S. 274 (1998).

The cases involving research trips to Antarctica mentioned above involved three former graduate students and the geology department chair at Boston University (BU). The complaints allege numerous acts of sexual harassment during trips to Antarctica between 1999 and 2001, when the department chair was an assistant professor. Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent in the world—larger than Europe or Australia—but because of its location at the South Pole, it is almost entirely covered with ice. It has no permanent population. The only residents temporarily inhabit scientific research stations. The continent is not under the jurisdiction of any particular nation, but any nation’s presence there is governed by international treaties. U.S. laws generally apply to Americans in Antarctica.

June 4, 2018

Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Tech Finance Company, Described as “Frat House,” Follows CEO’s Resignation

by Phillips & Associates

Legal News Gavel Recent media and public attention has helped shed light on sexual harassment in workplaces all over the country, including New York City. Employees have several means to fight back against such unlawful employment practices, but the attention to the issue since last fall has helped many employers identify and deal with individuals, policies, and practices that contribute to workplace sexual harassment. Laws like the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL) allow employees to recover damages once New York City sexual harassment has occurred. The hope, of course, is that this attention will make workplace sexual harassment less common in general. Allegations of sexual harassment at a finance and technology startup company last year led to the CEO’s resignation, between the filing of two lawsuits against the company. Charles v. Social Finance, Inc., No. CGC-17-560682, complaint (Cal. Super. Ct., San Francisco Cty., Aug. 11, 2017); Zamora vs Social Finance, Inc., No. SCV-261312, complaint (Cal. Super. Ct., Sonoma Cty., Sep. 21, 2017).

In New York City, laws at the city, state, and federal levels prohibit sex discrimination in employment. Each of these statutes, while not expressly mentioning sexual harassment, has been construed to prohibit sexual harassment as part of its provisions on sex discrimination. One particular form of prohibited sexual harassment under the NYCHRL and other laws is known as “hostile work environment.” This involves a pattern of unwanted sexual behavior, ranging from remarks, comments, or jokes to overtures or actual physical contact, that is pervasive enough to interfere with a person’s ability to do their job. The behavior does not necessarily have to come from individuals in a superior workplace position to the complainant, provided that the employer knows about it but has failed to act.

The defendant in the lawsuits mentioned above is a Silicon Valley startup that provides online lending services. The company received positive coverage in the media for “stretching the definition of what a lender should do” by providing services beyond those directly related to a lender/borrower relationship. Beginning in early to mid-2017, however, stories began to emerge that showed a very different side of the company. Not at all unlike many New York City finance companies, current and former employees described an alleged “frat house culture” that included frequent sexual banter and actual sexual activity on company property.

May 31, 2018

Virtual Reality Technology Offers Opportunities to Address, and Perpetrate, Sexual Harassment in New York City and Elsewhere

by Phillips & Associates

Legal News Gavel Virtual reality (VR) technology has been a feature of science fiction for some time. The technology is quickly advancing, although it has not reached the level portrayed in books and movies. Devices are now available to consumers that allow them to play VR games, both alone and with other players online. VR technology may prove to be useful in educating people about preventing sexual harassment in the workplace, and also in the recovery process for survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment. New York City is home to numerous technology companies exploring the benefits of VR technology. Unfortunately, VR has also presented further opportunities for some people to engage in New York sexual harassment. Participants in online VR games have reported numerous instances of conduct that would meet any standard definition of sexual harassment, and even assault, if it occurred in the real world. These alleged incidents might not directly involve employment statutes dealing with sexual harassment, but they demonstrate how deeply ingrained the attitudes that often lead to sexual harassment are in our society.

Employment statutes like the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex. This includes sexual harassment in certain situations: when a manager or supervisor makes sexual conduct of some sort a condition of employment, and when unwanted sexual remarks and other conduct are pervasive enough to create a hostile work environment. Employers have a legal responsibility to make reasonable efforts to investigate and remedy reported sexual harassment, and they could be liable for failing to do so. These statutes could apply to sexual harassment in “virtual” settings if an individual’s job requires them to participate in VR activities. For consumers using a company’s VR services, the service provider’s legal duty is not quite as clear, but they still have responsibility for their customers’ safety.

Current VR technology involves the use of a headset that allows a user to view the virtual setting in three dimensions. The headset responds to the user’s head movements, and additional controllers might reflect the real-world movement of the user’s arms, hands, and legs. The result can be a remarkably immersive environment, which has demonstrated benefits for various types of training and education. Some employers conduct sexual harassment trainings using VR technology, based on research suggesting that people retain more information from interactive VR programs than from live speakers or videos. VR applications might also help people who have experienced sexual assault and sexual harassment deal with trauma and related issues.