I Was Demoted After Making A Sexual Harassment Complaint. Now What?
Prior to the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, the rights of individuals to be themselves without fear of retribution from others was a little dubious. In the corporate world, the gender gap in terms of pay and opportunities was well known, but little was done to put a stop to it. When the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, many states passed their own laws to help add more layers of protection. Within those laws are provisions for people who attempt to protect their civil rights but are victims of retaliation.
Your Rights As A Human Being
Each set of state and federal human rights laws were enacted to make certain acts of discrimination subject to civil sanctions. Most acts of sexual harassment, for example, can be brought up in civil courts. As a human being, you have the right to utilize these designations and report any acts of sexual harassment. One of the protections people have when they report sexual harassment is that they cannot be the victims of any type of retribution.
What Happens If I Do Get Demoted?
Retribution for filing a sexual harassment claim can come in many forms. Some of those forms include reduction in pay, reduction in hours, demotion of position, or even being fired. Under federal law and almost every state law, it is illegal for your company to demote you for filing a sexual harassment claim.
Now What?
In general, your best course of action when this happens is to contact an experienced legal firm who can help you to put together the best possible case. A company that does an act of retribution on an employee who filed a sexual harassment claim is going to know that what they did was wrong. That company is going to try everything it can to cover up its act and insist that the demotion had nothing to do with the complaint. An experienced attorney will know exactly what to look for in these situations and can help put together a case.
When it comes to helping workers to maintain their human rights after filing a sexual harassment complaint, our legal team has the right type of experience. If you feel that your demotion or loss of job was due to retribution for filing a sexual harassment claim, please contact one of our sexual harassment lawyers immediately for a consultation.