Workplace harassment can take many forms, including verbal abuse, unwanted physical contact, exposure to undesirable photos or videos, retaliatory reductions in responsibilities, unwarranted disciplinary actions, demotions, and terminations. In addition, harassment may arise through other types of discrimination and retaliation due to your race, age, sex, sexual identity, sexual orientation and other protected characteristics. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has procedures for reporting and investigating harassment, and so do other government agencies. Federal agencies have processes for filing and investigating complaints, and lawsuits before federal courts and the EEOC are available if you are not satisfied with the results. You may also be able to obtain results faster by pursuing remedies from your employer directly with the aid of a Washington, D.C. workplace harassment lawyer.
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert C. Seldon founded Seldon Bofinger to represent employees in many areas of the law, including employees who suffer discrimination, retaliation, and harassment at the hands of supervisors, employers, and sometimes co-workers. They have successfully represented employees and executives of government agencies and private corporations in lawsuits and hearings, as well as in EEO complaint processes, alleging harassment, retaliation, and discrimination in and around D.C., and elsewhere in the country. To explore the process of recovering dignity in your workplace, schedule your consultation with a dedicated employment attorney from our firm.
What Do You Need to File a Workplace Harassment Lawsuit?
The key to ending workplace harassment is documenting it. Create a meticulous record of the conduct that has created a hostile workplace environment. Keep in mind that unless sent to your attorney or an attorney you are consulting about representation, your notes and records may have to be produced to your employer in a lawsuit. Working together with clients and prospective clients, an experienced harassment attorney will often recommend writing down every harassing incident in a continuing electronic document, with dates, times, names of individuals involved, what they did, and actions taken by your employer (if any) to respond to the harassment. It is important to keep your notes on a personal computer or mobile device, but not in your workplace or on a computer or other electronic device issued to you by your employer. Retaining paper communications, emails, and texts referring to hostile conduct is also important. Sending them to your attorney or an attorney you are considering retaining may protect them from disclosure.
Your Washington, D.C., attorney may also advise you to keep records of counseling and healthcare that you have received to address the psychological and other harm you experienced as a result of the workplace harassment that affects you and your family. In addition, it is critical to adhere without deviation to your employer’s procedures for reporting harassment. Not uncommonly, employers say they never knew about it.
Your employer may push back against your reports of harassment by claiming that those incidents were work-related coaching for performance issues, or by minimizing their impact on the broader scope of your actions. In every case, you need to follow your instincts and should consider consulting with an attorney before deciding whether to just take harassment and not pursue your rights and remedies.
What Remedies Are Available for Workplace Harassment?
Plaintiffs in successful workplace harassment lawsuits can recover compensation for lost pay and damages for emotional distress and effects on their physical health and psychological well-being. In cases where an employer has taken action against you with actual malice, acted willfully, with wanton misconduct, or outrageous indifference to your rights or safety, punitive damages that punish an employer may also be available. Consult with a knowledgeable workplace harassment attorney in Washington, D.C., for a consultation about the remedies that may be available to you.
Many employers also vigorously defend harassment allegations by arguing that they had no knowledge of the conduct at the heart of a workplace harassment lawsuit, or that the targeted employee failed to report the conduct to HR or follow internal procedures. So keep your records. Schedule a conference with Robert Seldon to verify the legitimacy of your harassment claims.
Call a Washington, D.C. Workplace Harassment Attorney for More Information
At Seldon Bofinger, we provide advice on how you can address harassment and a hostile environment at your workplace. Our dedicated team has recovered millions of dollars for our clients while improving their working conditions, restoring their job satisfaction, and recovering their well-being. Contact us today to schedule your consultation with a Washington, D.C. workplace harassment lawyer.