Inappropriate actions and comments in the workplace can lead to a hostile work environment. Ignored complaints about sexual harassment further compound the emotional strain felt by victims of this kind of abuse. California residents should know that a longtime cast member of “Real World” claims two cast members raped her with a toothbrush during one of the show’s filming sessions. Tonya Cooley sued Bunim/Murray Productions, MTV Network, and her alleged assailants on 14 causes of action in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Cooley alleges that while she was passed out drunk the show’s producers not only failed to intervene but taped it without telling her what had happened. Later, she says, the show fired her but kept her abusers on the show. Cooley says the corporate defendants “created an environment in which degrading and harassing behavior towards female contestants was openly tolerated and even encouraged.”
No one should have to tolerate sexual harassment in the workplace. But filing and pursuing a legal course of action can be difficult decision for the victim to make. That is why it is important for California residents to have all the facts concerning employment law in this particular area. Sound legal advice about sexual harassment law can give a victim of this kind of abuse the comfort of being fully informed about all their options.
To be sure, when one faces the prospect of filing a law suit, it is vital to prepare one’s self for the emotional hardship. Engaging the services of an experienced sexual harassment attorney who can offer advice on how best to proceed can ease the burden. Having the right legal advice helps clarify the issues surrounding sexual harassment in the workplace.
Source: The Courthouse News Service, “Cast Member Claims MTV’s ‘Real World’ Encouraged & Filmed Her Sexual Assault,” Matt Reynolds, Oct. 31, 2011