Pervasive Sexual Harassment in Consulting Company
Pervasive Sexual Harassment Case: Sarah's Struggle
Sarah was an employee at a consulting company specializing in services for insurance firms. Right from the start of her job, she endured relentless harassment from co-workers and supervisors, facing offensive comments and propositions.
Some colleagues openly discussed inappropriate topics, with one detailing how he used masturbation to cope with stress after a car accident. Another disturbingly likened women to canoes, suggesting he'd "tie them up" for his own pleasure. Yet another co-worker explicitly tied helping Sarah on a project to an inappropriate demand for a "happy ending." When Sarah bravely reported these incidents to her immediate supervisor, she was shockingly told that she had somehow brought this harassment upon herself. Sarah, who identifies as gay, had done nothing to provoke these offensive comments from her male colleagues. In an effort to escape the torment, she requested a transfer or permission to work remotely, but both requests were unjustly denied. Faced with a hostile workplace and unbearable distress, Sarah ultimately felt compelled to resign. This decision left her financially vulnerable and without professional references, further complicating her search for new employment. The emotional toll of her working environment persisted, causing ongoing anxiety and suffering. Solution Sarah sought our assistance, and we promptly initiated a sexual harassment claim on her behalf. Following an initial phase of fact-finding and investigation, we successfully negotiated a settlement that provided Sarah with compensation commensurate with the hardships she had endured. Postscript If you find yourself in a comparable predicament, grappling with skepticism and accusation following your brave disclosure of overt sexual harassment, it is crucial to consult with legal counsel and assert your legal rights. |
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Meet Our Employment Lawyers
Emily Smith-Lee is the owner and founder of slnlaw. She is a 1996 graduate of Boston College Law School. She was previously a partner at the Boston office of a large international firm, where she worked for thirteen years before starting the firm that became slnlaw in 2009. She has been recognized as Massachusetts Superlawyer each year since 2013, and in 2018 earned recognition as one of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly's Lawyers of the Year. She has written a book on employment law: Rules of the Road, What You Need to Know About Employment Laws in Massachusetts, and helped thousands of clients on both the employee and employer side with severance and non compete review and negotiation, wage and hour, discrimination and retaliation disputes, workplace sexual harassment situations, and advice about employment law generally.
Rebecca Rogers: Rebecca is a 2006 graduate of Boston College Law School, and has worked with slnlaw since 2013. She previously worked as an intellectual property litigation attorney for Fish & Richardson in Boston, Massachusetts, and clerked for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Rebecca has helped clients with wage and hour disputes, employment discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims, review and negotiation of severance and non compete agreements, and advice to both employees and employers about navigating complex employment situations.
Jenna Ordway: Jenna is a 2013 graduate of Quinnipiac Law School, and also earned an LLM in Taxation from Boston University in 2015. She has been affiliated with slnlaw since 2011, first as a law clerk and then as an attorney. Jenna has been recognized since 2019 as a "Rising Star" by Massachusetts Superlawyers. Jenna has helped clients with review and negotiation of severance and non compete agreements, wage and hour disputes, discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims, and advice to small business owners about employment law and other business matters.
Elijah Bresley: Eli is a 2014 graduate of Seton Hall Law school, and has worked with slnlaw since 2020. He previously worked for a boutique employment law firm outside of Boston, and then for the Labor and Employment department of a large Boston firm. He also spent a year clerking for the judges of the Superior Court in Hartford, Connecticut. Eli has helped clients on the employee and employer side with all varieties of employment law issues, including employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage and hour issues, litigation in MCAD and state and federal courts, and advising employers about employment policies and practices.
Sharleen Tinnin: Sharleen is a 2010 graduate of Northeastern University School of Law, and has been with slnlaw since 2023. Prior to joining slnlaw, she worked with King, Tilden, McEttrick & Brink, P.C. on complex civil litigation matters. She previously worked for the United States Department of Justice, and received an "Excellence in Justice" award in 2017. Sharleen has helped clients with wage and hour, discrimination, harassment and retaliation disputes, review and negotiation of severance agreements, and litigation in MCAD and state and federal courts on employment related issues.
How We Can Help
Our experienced team can provide the legal support and guidance you need to navigate sexual harassment claims, ensuring your rights are protected and advocating for the justice you deserve. You can use the button below to schedule a call back from a member of our team, or give us a call at 781-784-2322.
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