Can Workplace Sexual Harassment Become A Criminal Offense In Philly?
Sexual harassment can occur in several ways at the workplace, including innuendo and inappropriate touching, or even horseplay in some instances. However, it is most prevalent when demands for sex are connected to job evaluations, promotions, or increases in pay. Terminations based on potential sexual harassment issues are also common, and clearly unacceptable decisions on the part of company management officials. This is especially true when the offending party is a company supervisor on any level. Many times, the incidents are evaluated using personal testimony from competing interests who want to impact the problem in some manner in terms of seriousness. The details of the activity are vital when making a decision on what actually has or is transpiring, and it is also the time for a defendant to contact an experienced Philadelphia criminal defense attorney to represent the case.
What is Criminal Sexual Harassment
It is important to understand what is actually sexual harassment when being charged by a perceived victim. Sexual harassment in the workplace requires abusive language or some type of sexual coercion to become a criminal issue. And, physical evidence complaints can be very serious. Unwanted touching of the genital areas or female breast is clearly criminal sexual assault when this can be proven, and an experienced sexual harassment criminal defense attorney can build a case for reasonable doubt when the evidence could be frivolous.
Employer Responses to Sexual Harassment Complaints
Just like with a personal injury accident in the workplace, the employer is required to investigate any complaint. The primary issue with this requirement is that the company could be liable for damages in the event the case is sexual harassment and they attempt to downplay the issue. Sexual harassment cases can easily be complicated legal issues when illegal reactions from employers are included, and cases could become criminal in severe situations of coercion or interaction that is associated with maintaining employment and job performance evaluation.
What a Criminal Defense Attorney Can Do
A criminal defense attorney can evaluate all evidence being used in the charge, including questioning all witnesses and inspect all physical evidence for admissibility. There is often no physical evidence submitted for the record. Reasonable doubt is still the standard in a sexual harassment criminal case, even though the preponderance of the evidence applies in a civil tort matter. And, financial damages could be the goal when sexual harassment is claimed in the workplace because both the accused and the employer could be held liable. An aggressive sexual harassment criminal defense attorney will investigate all aspects of the claim, then highlight all borderline claims supported only by personal testimony.
Never accept the concept that a sexual harassment criminal charge cannot be properly defended. A successful outcome to the legal problem could be the result when you have solid comprehensive representation from a criminal defense professional.