Sexual Harassment Lawyer in Chicago & Naperville
Representing Sexual Harassment Victims in the Chicago Area
The “Me Too” movement has brought sexual harassment to the spotlight. In Illinois, sexual harassment and sexual assault are illegal. You can count on Fish Potter Bolaños, P.C. to resolve sexual harassment in and outside of the workplace and aggressively fight for your interests.
Schedule your initial case review by calling us at (312) 818-2407 today.
Federal Sexual Harassment Laws
Sexual harassment involves unwelcome sexual conduct, requests for sexual favor, advances, and other conduct. Private employers are prohibited from discriminating based on sex:
“It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer … to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual’s … sex….” 42 U.S.C. § 2000e–2(a)(1).
There are also a number of laws that protect minors who have been sexually abused, including Sexual Exploitation of a Minor–18 U.S.C.A. § 1466A.
Employers can be held vicariously liable for a supervisor’s sexual harassment of a subordinate.
An employer can avoid liability by showing:
- They exercised reasonable care to prevent and correct promptly any sexually harassing behavior
- The plaintiff employee unreasonably failed to take advantage of any preventive or corrective opportunities provided by the employer or to avoid harm otherwise
Sexual Harassment Laws in Illinois
The Illinois Gender Violence Act protects women who are victims of sexual assault. This can include unwanted touching, rape, and other forms of gender-related violence.
The statute of limitations on this Act is much longer than the limitations for employment discrimination claims filed with the Illinois Department of Human Rights or Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The limitation period for claims involving physical conduct under the Illinois Gender Violence Act is seven years.
FPB obtained $14 million settlement for Cook County lawyers (Public Defenders) for sexual harassment in the workplace. Read the press coverage to learn more: Obtained $14 Million Settlement For Cook County Lawyers (Public Defenders) For Sexual Harassment In The Workplace. The Harassment Final Motion is available here.
FPB represented R. Kelly Victim of Sexual Abuse and Harassment. Read more here: Fish’s R. Kelly Case Sex Abuse Case Featured On CBS (fishlawfirm.com) and An R. Kelly victim says Kim Foxx made a mistake in dropping state charges : NPR
FPB represented professional sports coach relating to retaliation for opposing sexual assault. Read more:
- Couple settles sexual assault case with Pittsburgh Penguins (espn.com)
- Penguins settle suit over ex-minors coach accused of assault | The Seattle Times Penguins Settle Lawsuits by Former Coach Skalde and Wife (pittsburghhockeynow.com)
Attorney David Fish interviewed sexual harassment cases and how confidentiality agreements allow more abuse. Listen to the podcast here to learn more: Employee to Lawyer Podcast | An Employment Law Podcast By NELA Illinois - PodRiver
FPB also provides sexual harassment training prevention for the workplace. For example, we trained members of the Illinois State Bar Association on preventing sex harassment. The focus of the seminar was to improve the culture of the workplace and to satisfy annually mandated sexual harassment prevention training required by the Illinois Workplace Transparency Act (Public Act 101-0220). To watch a replay, click here: LIVE WEB - Sexual Harassment Prevention Training - Video Replay 2 | Illinois State Bar Association | (isba.org)