Finding experienced sexual harassment lawyers in Arkansas

How are Arkansas employees protected against sexual harassment? The Arkansas Civil Rights Act has been successfully used in at least one sexual harassment case. However, the Act only refers to employment discrimination based on gender, including pregnancy and childbirth, but without explicitly mentioning sexual harassment. In most cases, your best recourse is Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, widely used all over the US in such cases. If you live in Arkansas and think you have a sexual harassment case you need to speak with a local lawyer as soon as possible. Why suffer more?

Before you proceed, you need to understand what constitutes sexual harassment in the eyes of the law.

First of all, there’s the physical harassment which refers to unwelcome touching or gesturing. If a coworker is constantly bumping into you, just for a quick grope, that’s a clear sign of sexual harassment.

Then, you have verbal harassment. Lewd remarks made in your presence, obscene jokes or sounds are all instances of sexual harassment. The same can be said of requests for a date. However, you’ll need good sexual harassment lawyers to understand if you have a case. If a coworker has a crush on you and asks you out on a date, you cannot call that sexual harassment if that was a one time thing and the guy understood you were not interested. Only if they keep pestering you with such requests can you file a complaint.

Requests for sexual favors fall in the same category. If your supervisor is constantly suggesting sex, promising you a raise or a promotion, that is a quid pro quo case and skilled employment lawyers won’t have any problem dealing with such a clear case of sexual harassment.

A third type of sexual harassment refers to the use of photos, drawings or videos of a sexual nature displayed around the office or sent to you via email or messaging apps with the clear intention of humiliating you. Those are the easiest to document, so don’t be afraid to take pictures and save any such message as they will be very useful in court.

Should you call a lawyer as soon as you’re subjected to this type of treatment? The answer is no, and it is very important you understand what are the steps you’re required to follow to stay within the law.

When you’re faced with any type of sexual harassment in the work place, the first thing you need to do is notify your employer. According to the law, your employer is required to take action as soon as they receive your complaint. If you do not formulate a complaint, it will be very difficult to take your employer to court.

However, once you’ve dully notified your employer of the sexual harassment taking place in their company and they don’t take any action, seasoned Arkansas sexual harassment lawyers will help you take your case first to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and then to court.

In many cases, these unpleasant situations can be resolved through mediation, but if you cannot reach an agreement with your employer the only thing left to do is take them to trial.