A former WXYZ-TV reporter received a $100 million settlement after she filed suit against her television employer. The anchor said she experienced almost daily sexual harassment, and the station did little to help curb it.
About Sexual Harassment
Federal law prohibits sexual harassment through Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This applies to employers that have 15 or more employees. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) defines sexual harassment as a form of sex discrimination that explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.
Sexual harassment comes in many forms. It doesn’t have to be physically touching. In fact, it can be any number of unwelcome sexual advances like indirect or direct threats for sexual activity, sexist jokes, displaying sexually illicit materials or unwanted touch.
TV Reporter Sexual Harassment Win
Complete details of the TV report sexual harassment settlement are unknown. However, Deadline Detroit first published news on the suit. The report first filed against WXYZ in March 2018. She said the main anchor on the new station would target her with a multitude of hostile, offensive, unwelcomed and also inappropriate actions. These actions spanned from June 2011 to December 2016.
An internal investigation revealed multiple female employees received the same treatment by the male anchor. However, the station still promoted him as his behavior continued. The female reporter listed in the suit filed a formal lawsuit and quit the station.
When others spoke out against the treatment, the station suspended them. A pastor on the station’s radio program received a suspension for speaking about the anchor’s conduct towards women.
File Against Your Employer
If you have experienced sexual harassment in any form in the workplace, you should contact a qualified employment attorney as soon as possible. If the harassment has not stopped after making a formal complaint with your employer, consulting a harassment lawyer is your best option. Your attorney will be able to provide further guidance, help you file a claim with the EEOC, and help you build a case that will put an end to what you have experienced.