South Carolina Sexual Harassment Attorneys

Sexual harassment is legally defined as unwelcome sexual advances in the workplace that affect an employee’s ability to do his or her job. Despite what many people may think, harassment is not always committed by a man against a woman; it may be committed by a woman against a man, or between two people of the same gender. It also does not have to be committed by a supervisor against an employee; the harasser could be a co-worker, a supervisor without direct authority over a victim, or sometimes even a non-employee.

If you or someone you care about has been the victim of sexual harassment in the workplace, contact the Louthian Law Firm today at 1-866-410-5656 or online for a free consultation.

There are two basic categories of sexual harassment:

1. The harasser uses his or her position of power to explicitly or implicitly make the victim’s job, duties or benefits dependent on providing sexual favors.
2. The harasser’s insulting, intimidating or ridiculing behavior creates a hostile work environment, which unreasonably interferes with the victim’s job or denies the victim’s right to a safe workplace.

Sexual harassment is illegal under the federal Civil Rights Act, which makes it illegal to discriminate on the basis of sex as well as other protected categories like race, national origin and religion. It applies to all businesses with 15 employees or more, as well as all levels of government and labor organizations. Other, special laws may apply to employees of government contractors, universities and others. If sexual harassment is severe enough to include assault, false imprisonment, invasion of privacy or other serious charges, it may also fall under South Carolina state law.

Common scenarios for sexual harassment include:

• Unwanted touching, including physically blocking a person’s movements.
• Unwanted sexual advances.
• Targeting a victim for hostile or offensive treatment because of his or her gender.
• Offering benefits like a raise or promotion in exchange for sexual favors.
• Displaying sexually suggestive materials in the workplace.
• Graphic commentaries on and suggestions about a victim’s body, or using sexually suggestive language to describe a victim.

For more information about sexual harassment, please see the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Sexual Harassment fact sheet and the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission.

Victims of sexual harassment often hesitate to come forward because they’re not sure their situation “counts,” fear that they’ll be fired if they say anything or don’t want to cause trouble for colleagues they once liked and respected. But sexual harassment is a serious crime, and its victims have rights. Those rights include laws that make it illegal for an employer to retaliate against an employee who reports sexual harassment, and provide steep penalties for those who do retaliate. Employees who feel sexually harassed do have the duty to inform their employers of the unwelcome behavior; an employer must make a good-faith, substantial effort to correct the situation in order to avoid liability.

The Louthian Law Firm is proud to have won a large settlement for a sexual harassment victim in April of 2007. If you believe you or someone you care about may also have been sexually harassed at work, we want to help. We have worked with injured South Carolinians since 1959; we’re sympathetic to clients who are going through a tough time in their lives. Contact us today at 1-866-410-5656 for a free, confidential evaluation of your case, or fill out the online form.

South Carolina Sexual Harassment Lawyer Disclaimer: The sexual harassment, discrimination or other legal personal injury information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice, nor the formation of a lawyer or attorney client relationship. Further communication with our attorneys through the website and email may not be considered as confidential or privileged. Any results set forth herein are based upon the facts of that particular case and do not represent a promise or guarantee. Please contact a Columbia South Carolina sexual harassment attorney at the Louthian Law Firm, P.A. for a consultation on your particular personal injury matter. This web site is not intended to solicit clients for matters outside of the state of South Carolina.