How a proven attorney brings value in a sexual harassment case

Posted in Sexual Harassment on January 3, 2017

In reference to the above-cited headline in today’s blog post, we note that an experienced attorney representing a sexual harassment victim in litigation provides value in many obvious ways, most centrally by crafting strategies that best protect a client and maximally promote his or her interests.

In a civil matter, it is often the amount of money that proven counsel can obtain for a plaintiff that best serves as the barometer of success, given that it is a dollar-based remedy that the law largely provides for in such matters.

Here’s a pointed question: What reasonably contributes to a comparatively higher damage award for an individual who has suffered workplace sexual harassment?

We address some of the key variables on a relevant page of our website at Winer, McKenna, Burritt & Tillis LLP. Our attorneys operate out of multiple offices across California, and have a demonstrated record of proven advocacy on behalf of harassment victims. Following are a few germane observations about optimizing money recoveries in sexual harassment cases that we pass along to readers for their consideration.

For starters, we always scrutinize the defendant employer in an exacting way. If that entity has sufficient assets to pay a large judgment, and additionally has a clear record of past sexual harassment-related problems that weren’t sufficiently dealt with, it could be a prime target for a large damage award, including punitive damages.

And that potential could be further increased if careful advocacy reveals a disconnect between what high-level company principals are saying as compared with what is otherwise being revealed through company files, the testimony of other witnesses derived through depositions and so forth.

A weak human resources department can also be exploited by a plaintiff’s attorneys in a sexual harassment case. An undertrained and ineffectual HR department can easily become detrimental to a defendant’s case when a jury perceives that it did not sufficiently protect lower-level employees from harassing behaviors at work.

Indeed, there are many factors that experienced attorneys will closely consider in their advocacy of a sexual harassment victim. Under certain circumstances, the variables extant in any given case can collectively increase the chances of a heightened recovery for a plaintiff.

We appreciate readers’ visits to our blog, as well as the opportunity to apply our proven acumen and experience on behalf of any California resident who is suffering from sexual harassment at work, in a school environment or in any other context.