What types of harassment are there?
Harassment cases fall into two categories: quid pro quo and hostile work environment. “Quid pro quo” is a Latin phrase meaning “this for that” and refers to those cases in which an employee has demanded sexual favors from a subordinate employee in exchange for certain employment benefits. Hostile environment claims arise when verbal or physical conduct of employees has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment. What can happen if I’m found to be out of compliance with anti-discrimination law? Financial penalties for violating anti-discrimination laws can be steep. For example, Lockheed Martin recently paid a $2.5 million settlement to plaintiffs in a racial harassment case. Nor are such eye-popping settlement offers in response to harassment lawsuits unusual. Recently, Allied Aviation Services, Conectiv, and Washington Group, International, Inc. settled harassment cases for t
