A female shipyard welder who accused her employer of sexual harassment has won a groundbreaking ruling that posting pictures of nude and partly nude women is a form of sexual harassment. While rulings in other cases have found that pornographic pictures may contribute to an atmosphere of sexual harassment, the new decision is thought to be the first finding that such pictures are, in and of themselves, harassment. The judge, Howell Melton, of Federal District Court in Jacksonville, Fla., found on Friday that Jacksonville Shipyards Inc. and two of its employees were directly liable for the harassment. He rejected what  [ Read More ]

Emmett Berg – Reuters8:16 p.m. CST, December 21, 2011 SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – A former employee of the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday sued team owners, executives and star guard Monta Ellis for sexual harassment, charging that lurid texts from the National Basketball Association star led to her termination. Oakland resident Erika Smith was hired to work on community relations for the Warriors in 2007 and regularly interacted with team members as part of her duties until her termination in August, according to documents filed in Alameda Superior Court. Her firing came nine days after a local media outlet inquired  [ Read More ]

Sexual harassment occurs when a person is subject to unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature to such an extent that it alters the conditions of the person’s employment and creates an abusive working environment. Sexual harassment may include touching, feeling, groping and/or repeated unpleasant, degrading and/or sexist remarks directed toward an employee, implying that employment status, promotion or favorable treatment depends upon the employee’s assent. Pornography displayed in the workplace or emailed to coworkers may also constitute sexual harassment. What exactly constitutes such an environment is determined on a  [ Read More ]