Sexual harassment and other employment allegations from employees is one of the most difficult issues that a business will face in Alabama. This is especially true in the current atmosphere in which people are more cognizant of mistreatment, willing to speak up about it, and will garner unabashed support from others whether the allegations are believable, realistic and true or not. This is not to imply that all cases in which there are assertions that business and commercial entities had people engaging in inappropriate behavior are manufactured, but some incidents are exaggerated or outright fabrications. For these businesses, having a legal defense that understands the perspective of the accused is vital to combat the charges.
The Assistant State Superintendent of Alabama is confronted with federal litigation that he committed sexual harassment and discrimination against an assistant when he functioned as a school superintendent. He was promoted from that former job in July. He had the previous job from 2014 until then. In the lawsuit, the woman states that she had several jobs for the county’s Board of Education and was the man’s assistant for more than two years beginning in February 2015.
She says he committed numerous and constant acts of sexual harassment. The lawsuit names the seven-member board because she claims that no action was taken when she complained. In her lawsuit, she claims assault and battery and invasion of privacy saying that he touched her in inappropriate ways. According to her, the compensation she received for her work was not fair given the hours she put in. Working alone with him, his behavior escalated. In September 2016, he advised her to look for another job, but then backtracked and gave her another role. There was no salary increase as promised. She filed her complaint in August 2017.
Employers, public and private, might not expect to have these allegations lodged against them. The combination of sexual harassment and workplace discrimination can be devastating for businesses and individuals. When the federal government gets involved via the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), it can be exponentially more difficult. Having legal assistance from an experienced law firm that is well-versed in business and commercial cases is a key aspect to an effective defense against these claims. Calling for help is imperative.
