Workplace Discrimination

Tulsa Sexual Harassment and Hostile Work Environment Lawyer

Tulsa Sexual Harassment Lawyer
Protecting Oklahoma Employees for 30 Years

You are a female who has just taken a new job. Your immediate superior is a man. He sits on the edge of your desk and says "Hi honey, it's great to have a pretty girl around here." Then he winks. Later in the day, as you reach for a file, he leans in close and brushes your breast. Startled, you pull back and move away. Your boss just smiles.
The next day he welcomes you with another wink and a "Hello sweet thing!" and proceeds to tell you a dirty joke. Is this behavior ok? Definitely NOT! Regardless of where you work, you do not have to tolerate a harassing workplace. Inappropriate sexual innuendo or unwelcome sexual advances are not ok. This behavior is not specific to men - women are also guilty of sexual misconduct.

Many victims are unwilling to come forward because the harassment can be so subtle that the victim thinks that he or she is imagining things. Sometimes the person doing the harassment has done it for so many years without punishment that they have become quite accomplished in their "craft".

The scope of inappropriate conduct and comments that may constitute sexual harassment is extremely broad, so it is virtually impossible to list all the types of comments, conduct or behaviors that may constitute sexual harassment. Our Tulsa sexual harassment attorneys see many clients who have tolerated sexual harassment and have taken no affirmative steps to bring it to a stop. This is rarely a good strategy, because the sexual harassment is not only likely to continue, but will often escalate.

I don't want you to have to deal with this! Who am I? I am Jeff Nix, and my career has been devoted to fighting to protecting employees from all forms of employment discrimination. You don't have to feel sick each Monday morning as you dread another week of work. I am here to help you put your life back together.

My roots run deep in this community as a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma. My law firm has been representing the rights of employees here in Tulsa for over 30 years, and we have a deep understanding of the unique employment law challenges that you face in the Tulsa employment market.

 

Types of Sexual Harassment

Quid pro quo is the most egregious form of sexual harassment wherein employment benefits are directly based on compliance with sexual demands from a supervisor, coworker or even a client. The other type of harassment, hostile work environment sexual harassment, consists of sexually explicit photos being posted in employee's cubicles and other forms such as telling dirty jokes in the employee's earshot.

Whether you are a male or female employee, you have a right to a work environment free of lewd comments, jokes filled with sexual innuendo, inappropriate touching and other forms of sexual harassment. A work environment where you are exposed to inappropriate sexual gestures, comments and behaviors may be deemed a hostile work environment. Whether a coworker or supervisor commits these inappropriate sexual comments and behaviors, you have a right to be protected from a work environment that is tainted by this type of harassment.

Upon bringing such conduct to the attention of management, the company has an affirmative duty to take remedial measure to protect you. This remedial action must be directed at protecting you, not punishing you. If your employer doesn't take action, you may be able to file a lawsuit against the company.

During my 30 years representing employees subjected to the indignities of sexual harassment in the workplace, my clients have come to me with complaints of employers that respond by ignoring their complaint, or worse, punishing the victim of harassment by a transferring them to a less desirable shift or position. This is not ok!

 

Other Types of Hostile Work Environments in Tulsa

Another scenario. You have been working hard on a contract and sweating bullets because you know that your boss's temper is quite volatile. You feel that you have done a good job and you present the work to your employer. He or she throws the contract to the floor and stomps on it, swearing and telling you that you're a loser, a slacker, a worthless excuse for an employee. You back out of the room, apologizing, promising to do better. But the lump in your stomach tells you it will never be good enough to satisfy him.

OR - you report a safety violation or otherwise become a whistleblower. The company responds by making you do things designed to make you quit, such as reducing your salary, forcing you to work extra hours, or writing you up for imagined misconduct. This is a hostile work environment and you don't have to stand for it!

 

Need a Tulsa Sexual Harassment Lawyer? Taking Action Against Sexual Harassment and Hostile Work Environments

If you are subject to any of the following employment actions because of your refusal to submit to sexual advances, you may have a right to compensation:

  • Termination of employment

  • Refusal to hire

  • Denial of promotion or pay raise

  • Conditioning of employment benefits

  • Re-assignment to less desirable job assignments or work shifts

 

Sexual harassment can also be a form of gender based discrimination, so it is not necessary that the offensive conduct always be sexual. If you receive disparate treatment merely because of your gender, you may have a claim for sexual harassment.

If your employer has failed to take effective remedial measures to protect you from sexual harassment by a supervisor or coworker, contact me so that I can file an administrative claim with the Federal Employment Opportunity Commission. Although it is unlikely that the claim will be resolved, you are required to exhaust administrative remedies before filing a sexual harassment lawsuit.

If I file a lawsuit for sexual harassment, I can seek back pay, reinstatement, compensatory damages, front pay lost due to constructive or actual termination, damages for emotional distress and punitive damages depending on the specific facts of your case. My office does not represent large corporations or insurance companies; I represent ordinary folks just like you who have been subjected to sexual harassment or other forms of employment discrimination by an employer.

While my company provides the experience and expertise often associated with a large law firm with hundreds of attorneys, I pride myself on the fact this is the only part of my law practice that is similar to a large firm that deals on an impersonal basis with large corporations. I understand that sexual harassment victims are real people who can suffer severe consequences, including financial loss and severe emotional hardship, that can touch every aspect of a sexual harassment victim’s life and family. My law firm is committed to protecting Tulsa employees subject to sexual harassment throughout Oklahoma just like you, so call me today at 918-587-3193. I will fight tirelessly for your rights!

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