How Do I Prove Quid Pro Quo?
When a victim is put into a position of having to perform sexual acts to keep their job, that can be an example of quid pro quo. In the corporate world, sexual harassment is often used as a tool by authority figures to get sexual favors in return for promises of promotions or raises. The issue for many victims becomes proving quid pro quo happened and that the victim was taken advantage of.
What Is Quid Pro Quo?
Quid pro quo sexual harassment or assault is a situation where a manager offers the employee the chance to get a raise or promotion in exchange for sexual favors. The attacker manipulates the employee using the attacker’s position of authority and the situation is usually considered assault or harassment. While the attacker will claim that consent was given, the truth is that consent from the victim was given under duress or fear.
Proving Quid Pro Quo
There are a series of conditions that have to be proven before a civil court will determine that quid pro quo occurred.
Ability To Offer Benefits – It must be proven that, at the time of the assault, the aggressor was in a position of authority, or the victim had been lead to believe the aggressor was an authority figure.
Conditions – In a quid pro quo case, there must be specific rewards offered or promised in exchange for sex. For example, there must have been the “promise” of a raise in pay of a certain amount or a promotion to specific position. This is where tape recordings or text messages become very important.
Harm – The victim must prove they were harmed during the event. This includes physical, psychological, and emotional harm.
Unwanted Advances – It has to be proven that the advances of the aggressor were indeed unwanted by the victim and that the victim only gave consent out of duress.
Hire An Attorney
Proving that you were the victim of quid pro quo sexual harassment can be difficult. For your own sake, it is usually best to hire an experienced attorney to review and handle your case for you.
If you need an experienced law firm to handle your quid pro quo case, then please give us a call. Our professional sexual harassment attorneys have experience in these sorts of cases, and we can be that experienced legal team you need to make a proper claim and potentially get the maximum available compensation.