Have you ever been into an uncomfortable situation at the workplace? For instance, your employer or any co-worker made a lewd comment on you in the office, but it is not the first time this has happened. Well, if this has been happening regularly then you must know that you have become a victim of sexual harassment. Along with that, you should also know that certain sexual harassment laws protect the employees from these uncomfortable and unlawful sexual harassment situations that are purely based on caste, gender, religion, nationality, and sex. Therefore, to take care of these unforeseen circumstances, you must consult a Los Angeles sexual harassment attorney to know what can be done and what are your options.
When you hire a sexual harassment attorney, he or she makes sure that your right as a worker is safe and you are getting an environment that does not involve any unlawful activities. When the workplace rights of you as an employee are violated and you become a clear target of sexual harassment, the impact of it can be extremely intense that could create a toxic environment for you to perform your duties at work. And thus, filing a case against the employer would remain the only solution to get the desired claims that have disrupted your professional and personal life and safeguard the future.
However, consulting a Los Angeles sexual harassment employee is only going to do good for you as you would be able to know the difference between the right and the wrong that happens at your workplace and how you can tackle those situations. Therefore, here’s why you need a sexual harassment attorney.
Attorney tell you the right path
When you decide to report a sexual harassment case, you need to take certain steps to protect your rights as an employee. At many workplaces, there is a requirement that the company policy requires you to report the case of sexual harassment to the HR department or any of the top-level hierarchy. And in such a situation, a sexual harassment attorney is the best person who can guide you regarding whom you must report the sexual harassment complaint. Along with this, you are going to need an attorney to help you put out a description of the complaint that you will be reporting to HR. This will help you a lot while speaking to HR in person.
Retaliation
Employers have no right to retaliate against the employees who report any sexual harassment incident. But in other situations, it may happen, for instance, a termination, removing you from a project, or any team outings to name a few. In this scenario, you are going to need a sexual harassment attorney to figure out how to form a case against your employer.
Lawsuit
If you feel that the sexual harassment complaint made to the HR department was of no use, and want to proceed with litigation, then the lawyer is there to help you get a ‘right to sue’ letter from the designated government agency. The complaint will be filed under the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or your state’s human rights or civil rights enforcement agency. The agency then will look into the matter and your claim, and then can issue the letter.
With the help of this letter, you can file a civil lawsuit against the employer for the mental, emotional, and physical injury and trauma that has caused you because of the sexual harassment. If you win this lawsuit, then here are the following things that might happen:
Getting back all your lost wages or the raise that you were going to get
All the damages for causing the emotional trauma
If you lost your job during that period then the court might order reinstatement.
Attorney fee and court expenses
If your employer involved any feeling of hatred or uncontrolled behavior, then you might get punitive damages for it.
Do not think that you are weak. You can speak up against sexual harassment and you must. And in such cases, only an experienced Los Angeles sexual harassment attorney would be able to give you the right advice.