California sexual harassment lawyer

Griffin v. City of East Orange – Sexual Harassment Plaintiff Gets New Trial

July 12, 2016 | by Nassiri Law

Sexual harassment plaintiffs will get a new trial after the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled the trial court erroneously omitted testimony from a co-worker who testified during deposition that a supervisor instructed her to speak negatively about plaintiffs and in favor of the accused harasser.

In Griffin v. City of East Orange, the New Jersey Supreme Court determined the testimony of the co-worker, which was not allowed at trial because it was reportedly irrelevant, was in fact directly pertinent to plaintiffs’ claims for compensatory and punitive damages arising from a hostile work environment. Further, these statements, which involved hearsay, overcame hearsay exceptions because it constituted statements by a party’s agent or servant offered against the party (an exception via N.J.R.E. 803(b)(4) ).

The three accusers had alleged a supervisor created a hostile work environment through sexual harassment, quid pro quo sexual harassment and retaliation. She is seeking both compensatory and punitive damages. Continue Reading ›

Sexual Harassment Training Under Scrutiny by California Investigator

May 5, 2016 | by Nassiri Law

Amid growing allegations of widespread sexual harassment at the University of California Berkely, California’s top sexual harassment investigator is initiating a comprehensive review of training policies throughout the state.

The California Department of Fair Housing, responsible for enforcing the state’s civil rights laws, has created a task force that will specifically focus the effectiveness of current sexual harassment awareness training. The effort is being overseen by the department’s director, Kevin Kish.

The announcement came just two months after a number of allegations of misconduct by faculty arose at the university, which became national news and sparked a conversation about how we handle gender discrimination at universities and colleges. Continue Reading ›

Changes to California’s Sexual Harassment Law to Take Effect

May 1, 2016 | by Nassiri Law

According to a recent news feature from the National Law Review, a new law has taken effect in California that will make some changes to the state’s mandatory sexual harassment education requirement.

Specifically, the new law will require employers to have training about topics such as discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliatory employment practices. There will also be requirement to document the training and keep detailed records in the event of an inspection by the state labor regulators. Continue Reading ›

Female Restaurant Workers in LA Area Allege Sexual Harassment

March 6, 2016 | by Nassiri Law

A little more than a year ago, employees at San Diego P.F. Chang’s location won a roughly $1 million verdict in a sexual harassment lawsuit. According to a recent news feature from the Los Angeles Times, the same defendant is alleged to have engaged in additional incidents of sexual harassment at various other Southern California locations.

This first case that ended in 2014 involved two plaintiffs. Now, there are four women claiming they were repeatedly made to be victims of sexual harassment in Anaheim, Beverly Hills, Riverside, and Chino Hills. Their contracts required employees to use a binding arbitration process as opposed to filing a complaint in a civil court. There is also another alleged victim, but her case is somewhat different, because she was only 16 years of age at the time of the alleged harassment. Continue Reading ›

California Sexual Harassment Lawsuits Prompt Calls for More Training

November 13, 2013 | by Nassiri Law

Two separate cases of sexual harassment filed against top-level city officials in Los Angeles has prompted two council members to urge changes in the city’s anti-harassment training courses.

Our Costa Mesa sexual harassment lawyers understand that for the City of Los Angeles, like many other places of employment, sexual harassment training is mandated for managers – and managers only.

The proposal made by the city’s Council President Herb Wesson and Councilwoman Nury Martinez would make it a requirement for all city employees. Additionally, rather than have the training be a two-hour online course, as it is currently, the sessions would require in-person attendance.