A court attorney and secretary have filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against a New York County Family Court Judge. Both claim the judge harassed them and seek a jury trial.

About Sexual Harassment

Federal law prohibits sexual harassment through Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This applies to employers that have 15 or more employees. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) defines sexual harassment as a form of sex discrimination that explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.

Sexual harassment comes in many forms. It doesn’t have to be physically touching. In fact, it can be any number of unwelcome sexual advances. These include indirect or direct threats for sexual activity, sexist jokes, displaying sexually illicit materials or unwanted touch.

Sexual Harassment Lawsuit

This is what happened to the plaintiffs. The New York Family Court Judge allegedly would show nude photos to his secretary and court attorney. Plus, he would tell graphic descriptions of sexual acts along with asking for nude photos. Also, he would constantly tell his secretary that if he had a different one, she would take care of his sexual needs. Elected to a 10-year term in 2014, the judge threatened both with injury or death if they reported him.

The state previously removed him from the bench in August 2016 and reassigned his cases. However, no information was given. Now, in the suit, both plaintiffs said the abusive behavior happened between 2015 and June of 2017. Both also claim that the Unified Court System failed to respond to claims starting in 2015. This forced the plaintiffs to continue to work in a toxic environment.

Free Consultation

If you have experienced sexual harassment in any form in the workplace, you should contact a qualified complex litigation attorney. You should do this right away since time is of the essence. If the harassment has not stopped after making a formal complaint with your employer, consulting a harassment lawyer is your best option. Your attorney will be able to provide further guidance, help you file a claim with the EEOC, and help you build a case that will put an end to what you have experienced. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation case review.