News of cases of alleged sexual harassment often cause a great deal of turmoil due to the sensitive and emotional nature of the issue. It may be easy for the general public in Los Angeles to automatically side with the accuser, especially in cases where a case involves a supervisor-subordinate relationship.
Yet it is important that people remember that such claims warrant investigation in order to establish their merit, as the potential consequences that a person and or company facing such accusations may face can be devastating.
Sexual harassment claim against researcher dropped
This fact was on full display in the case of a marine science researcher in Florida. His affiliate university suspended him after a story regarding a sexual harassment claim pending against him surfaced. A former research assistant claimed that during their brief time working together, the researcher sexually exploited her, even going so far as to cite an alleged instance of her witnessing sexually inappropriate actions. An investigation conducted by the school employing him at the time seem to validate her claims, yet a simultaneous inquiry made by the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission dismissed them. The case against the researcher was subsequently dropped.
Disputing baseless claims
While some may view the pleas of innocence made by an employer accused of sexual harassment with skepticism, that should not detract from their potential validity. Given everything that may be at stake in such a case, one facing such accusations certainly should refute such claims when they are not warranted (even in the face of public skepticism). The fight to disprove such claims (and the accompanying battle to restore one’s professional reputation) may be easier when one has an experienced attorney to rely on.