Teens at Work are at Risk for Sexual Harassment

In a November decision, the Chicago-based 7th Circuit US court of Appeals made it clear that the business community can no longer simply rely on its policy and procedures in place to avert liability for sexual harassment claims. In EEOC c. V & J Foods 507 F.3d 575 the court held that an employer regularly hiring teenagers and young first time employees has the responsibility to make sure that its policies on sexual harassment are understandable to the young employees. In a 2006 decision of Doe v. Oberweis Dairy, 456 F.3d 704, the same court had held that a minor’s consent to sex does not operate as a complete bar to a Title VII sexual harassment case. According to the court the age of consent will have to be considered when the issue of consent is raised. These cases underline the fact that sexual harassment claims are on the rise especially when comes to younger workers. Orange County and Los Angeles employment and discrimination attorneys of Employment Law team have handled many cases on behalf of younger female and male workers and have had many significant settlement representing workers who were subjected to sexual harassment by their supervisors.