How can a Connecticut sexual harassment lawyer help you

A former Specialized Bicycle female employee has filed a lawsuit against the company in a Connecticut federal court, claiming that she was laid off in the early days of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, in clear violation of federal and state civil rights and employment laws.

In a 59-page complaint, Lauren Parenti said she “endured a hostile work environment where women were treated as less competent than men and, worse still, as sexual playthings for upper management.” 

This is a typical case of sexual discrimination in the workplace and it is rather surprising since Connecticut has one of the most comprehensive laws against sexual harassment. If you find yourself in a similar situation and don’t know who to turn to, you should get in touch with a good lawyer. 

The rights of an employee to a safe workplace were already protected under federal laws, but in 2019 Connecticut enacted the Time’s Up Act expanding sexual harassment training requirements for employers of any size. Even if you run a small business with three employees in the state of Connecticut you need to provide training for them. Your employees also need to be informed who they can complain to in case they are subjected to sexual harassment. It might be one of the managers or the HR department, and they are legally required to investigate any complaint they get. 

This is one of the first questions, most Connecticut sexual harassment lawyers ask during the initial consultation. How is your employer dealing with the required training concerning sexual discrimination in the workplace. Their failure to provide adequate training and a clearly established internal complaint mechanism will weigh heavily if the case goes to trial.

Sexual harassment lawyers can help you prove your managers and/or coworkers created a hostile work environment. In other words, you have to establish that your coworkers used crude jokes, inappropriate gestures or touches, etc in order to ridicule or humiliate you. You’ll have to prove that this was a pervasive attitude, that caused you mental anguish and made you dread going to work. If it was just an inappropriate joke with sexual undertones at the office Christmas party, that does not constitute sexual harassment. It’s not something you can use in court, as the guilty party can always say it was a simple joke, not meant to hurt you in any way. 

Another common type of sexual harassment concerns requests for sexual favors made by a direct supervisor or manager. If you were threatened with termination or told you won’t get any raise or promotion unless you agree to have sex with them, this is a serious case of sexual harassment. You will still need to prove it in court, though. 

Connecticut laws provide protection against retaliation in the work place for any employee that testifies in such cases. This might make it easier for your employment lawyers to find witnesses who were present when those unwanted sexual advances were made.

In many cases, when one abused employee finds the courage to speak, other women who were subjected to the same treatment decide to come forth and share their story.