Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment Isn’t Acceptable In California

In our previous blog post, we discussed the case of the judge who was being accused of sexual harassment. If you remember correctly, the person accusing him said that he was giving her lavish gifts. That story might have some of our California readers wondering about what constitutes quid pro quo harassment. There are several points that our readers might find interesting.

One point is that quid pro quo harassment means that an employee is required to do something for something. In most cases, this means an employee or potential employee would have to perform sexual favors in exchange for favor on the job. That favor on the job could be a raise, a promotion or simply job security. In all those cases, the employee or potential employee was subjected to quid pro quo harassment.

Anyone who has been the victim of quid pro quo harassment has the option of seeking compensation for that harassment. There are certain points that have to be made in order to receive compensation. These include that there were conditional benefits offered, the harasser worked for the company, the complainant was an employee or potential employee, the complainant was harmed by the event and the alleged harasser’s actions harmed the plaintiff.

It is important for anyone who has been the victim of quid pro quo harassment to remember that he or she must go through the proper channels to lodge a complaint. This means making a complaint with the appropriate government agency. Knowing how to state your complaint and learning about what to expect in the process can help you to decide how to proceed.

Source: FindLaw, “What is Quid Pro Quo Harassment?” accessed Feb. 19, 2015