SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
You Need to Know Your Rights.

Are you a victim of sexual harassment at work in San Francisco or anywhere in the greater San Francisco Bay Area? If you are not sure, see the examples below and contact us for a free initial consultation.

The California Fair Employment and Housing Commission regulations define sexual harassment as unwanted sexual advances, or visual, verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. This definition includes many forms of offensive behavior and includes gender-based harassment of a person of the same sex as the harasser. The following is a partial list of potential violations:

• Unwanted sexual advances;

• Offering employment benefits in exchange for sexual favors;

• Making or threatening reprisals after a negative response to sexual advances;

• Visual conduct: leering, making sexual gestures, displaying of suggestive objects or pictures, cartoon or posters;

• Verbal conduct: making or using derogatory comments, epithets, slurs, and jokes;

• Verbal sexual advances or propositions;

• Verbal abuse of a sexual nature, graphic verbal commentaries about an individual's body, sexually degrading words used to describe an individual, suggestive or obscene letters, notes or invitations;

• Physical conduct: touching, assault, impeding or blocking movements.

Workplace sexual harassment violates both federal and California law. Sexual harassment includes quid pro quo sexual harassment and hostile work environment sexual harassment. Quid pro quo sexual harassment occurs when a term of employment is expressly or implicitly conditioned upon acceptance of an unwelcome sexual advance. Hostile work environment sexual harassment occurs when an employee is subject to unwelcome sexual or gender-related conduct that is sufficiently severe or pervasive to create a hostile or abusive working environment.

Under Title VII of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 unwelcome sexual advances, unwelcome requests for sexual favors, and other unwelcome verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment. Title VII also prohibits discrimination by employers on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin.

Sexual harassment can happen anywhere, and harassment occurs in San Francisco and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Thankfully, there are laws in place to help prevent harassment in the workplace. Sexual harassment in the workplace is prohibited by Federal and California statutes.

Please do not hesitate to give us a call at 650-857-1600 or email us at brodericklaw@brodericklaw.com for a free consultation on how best to approach your sexual harassment problems with employers. At the Broderick Law Firm we are here to help you stop wrongful sexual harassment in the workplace.

The Broderick Law Firm handles matters within the jurisdiction of the Federal and State Courts of California only. Broderick Law Firm is located in Palo Alto and represents clients throughout the Bay Area. We serve Santa Clara County, Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Marin County, Merced County, Monterey County, Napa County, Sacramento County, San Benito County, San Francisco County, San Joaquin County, San Mateo County, Santa Cruz County, Solano County, Sonoma County, and Stanislaus County, including the cities of Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Dublin, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Newark, Oakland, Piedmont, Pleasanton, San Leandro, Union City, Antioch, Brentwood, Clayton, Concord, Danville, El Cerrito, Hercules, Lafayette, Martinez, Moraga, Oakley, Orinda, Pinole, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, Richmond, San Pablo, San Ramon, Walnut Creek, Belvedere, Bolinas, Corte Madera, Dillon Beach, Dogtown, Fairfax, Inverness, Inverness Park, Kentfield, Lagunitas-Forest Knolls, Larkspur, Marshall, Mill Valley, Muir Beach, Nicasio, Novato, Olema, Point Reyes Station, Ross, San Anselmo, San Geronimo, San Rafael, Sausalito, Stinson Beach, Tiburon, Tomales, Woodacre, Atwater, Dos Palos, Gustine, Livingston, Los Banos, Merced, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Del Rey Oaks, Gonzales, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Salinas, Sand City, Seaside, Soledad, American Canyon,Calistoga, Napa, St. Helena, Yountville, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom, Galt, Isleton, Rancho Cordova, Sacramento, Aromas, Hollister, Paicines, Ridgemark, San Juan Bautista, Tres Pinos, San Francisco, Stockton, Escalon, Lathrop, Lodi, Manteca, Ripon, Tracy, Atherton, Belmont, Brisbane, Burlingame, Colma, Daly City, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Half Moon Bay, Hillsborough, Menlo Park, Millbrae, Pacifica, Portola Valley, Redwood City, San Bruno, San Carlos, San Mateo, South San Francisco, Woodside, Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga, Sunnyvale, Santa Cruz County, Capitola, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Watsonville, Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun City, Vacaville, Vallejo, Sonoma County, Cloverdale, Cotati, Healdsburg, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Sonoma, Windsor, Ceres, Crows Landing, Del Rio, Denair, Diablo Grande, Empire, Grayson, Hickman, Hughson, Keyes, Knights Ferry, LaGrange, Modesto, Newman, Oakdale, Patterson, Riverbank, Salida, Turlock, Valley Home, Waterford, and Westley.