Workplace Sexual Harassment Attorney in Charleston, WV

You work hard to provide for yourself and your family. The last thing you need is for unwanted and inappropriate attention to complicate your efforts. Sadly, workplace sexual harassment is all too common in West Virginia, and it can leave victims feeling embarrassed, intimidated, and trapped. Sound familiar? If so, you've come to the right firm for assistance.

At Bailess Law Firm, our empathetic and highly skilled Charleston, WV sexual harassment lawyers help workers hold employers and others accountable for unlawful, sexually degrading behavior. Here's what you need to know.

Recognizing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

On-the-job sexual harassment can take many forms. One of the most common types, known as Quid Pro Quo, occurs when it's stated or implied that job security or employment benefits (like raises or promotions) hinge on an employee's willingness to accept sexual advances or provide sexual favors. Prohibited by both state and federal law, Quid Pro Quo harassment is a blatant violation of your employment rights.

However, workplace sexual harassment involves so much more than just threats or bribes for sexual activity. Oftentimes, it's a constant barrage of inappropriate jokes and innuendos that continues even after the employee has expressly asked that it stop, resulting in a workplace that feels uncomfortable or unsafe. Hostile work environment sexual harassment isn't just offensive; it's a form of employment discrimination, and it's against the law.

Sexually harassing behavior includes a wide range of unwanted physical contact and suggestive verbal actions, such as:

• Crude jokes
• Sexual innuendos
• Lewd remarks
• Commenting on a person's body
• Sexual advances
• Requests for sexual favors
• Circulating sexually suggestive photos, cartoons, videos, or other material
• Sending or sharing inappropriate texts or emails
• Inappropriate touching or brushing up against others
• Using sexually suggestive, explicit, or offensive gender-related language
• Company policies that discriminate based on gender

If sexual harassment is affecting your performance and making your job an intimidating, offensive, or hostile place to work, we can help.

Holding Sexual Harassers Accountable

You have the right to a safe work environment that's free of sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination. When employers, supervisors, managers, coworkers, or others engage in sexually harassing conduct that violates your rights, our accomplished and understanding employment law attorneys can help you take legal action to hold them accountable.

Depending on the circumstances of your case, a sexual harassment lawyer at our firm may be able to help you recover compensation for a variety of damages, including:

• Lost wages, tips, commissions, and bonuses
• Lost employment benefits, such as health, pension, retirement, paid time off, stock option, or profit-sharing benefits
• Related medical or psychological counseling expenses
• Emotional distress
• Embarrassment
• Loss of dignity

In some cases, a judge or jury may also award punitive damages to workplace sexual harassment plaintiffs. Rather than attempting to compensate you for an economic or non-economic loss, these damages punish the defendant for reckless or intentional wrongdoing.