There’s no doubt that sexual harassment can negatively impact nearly every aspect of your life. It can cause you to miss out on desirable work assignments and promotions, and it can lead to losing your job. But that’s just the beginning. Sexual harassment can derail an entire career that you’ve worked hard to build, damage your reputation, and lead to overwhelming mental anguish. Coping with all of this can be crushing, too, leaving you uncertain of your next steps and what the future has in store.
Fortunately, you may be able to protect your interests by taking legal action against your employer. Be aware, however, that these cases are often more complex than they seem. That’s why you need to be careful as you build your sexual harassment claim. Otherwise, you could miss out on the opportunity you need to find accountability and recover compensation for the harm that’s been caused to you.
Don’t make these mistakes when building your sexual harassment claim
There are some obvious steps you need to take when building your sexual harassment lawsuit. For example, you’ll need to gather evidence of the harassment itself, which could include your personal accounts, witness testimony, written complaints, and security footage. While being thorough here can help build a compelling case, there are some mistakes that can be made along the way that can jeopardize your case. They include:
- Overlooking your work performance: If your employer retaliates against you after reporting sexual harassment, then your employer might try to claim that it took negative employment action against you because of your poor work performance. If you’re unprepared to counter this argument, then your employer might convince the judge or jury that you were treated fairly. Look over your performance appraisal and gather evidence of a positive work history.
- Failing to report sexually harassing behaviors: Don’t mistake harassment for something less than what it is. Far too many sexual harassment victims think they’re merely being teased or that their co-workers are only joking and that it’s on them to get over it. It’s not. You deserve to be safe in your place of work. If your employer won’t take action to stand up for you, then you might need to take legal action to stand up for yourself.
- Neglecting to mitigate your damages: When you try to prove damages in a civil lawsuit, you have to show how you’ve tried to curtail your damages. Otherwise, you’d be free to sit around, not secure new employment and force your employer to pay for it. This wouldn’t be fair, which is why the defense and the court are going to look at what you’ve done to try to stop incurring damages. Make a record of your efforts to secure training, education, and new employment to head off this argument.
- Failing to seek treatment you need: You might be stymied in your attempts to recoup damages for the mental harm caused to you if you haven’t sought treatment to cope with your emotional and psychological injuries. Seek out the treatment that you need to protect your well-being so that you’re making a record of it.
Advocate to protect your interests after being sexually harassed
It’s not your fault that you were sexually harassed, but it is up to you to seek justice. You need evidence, foresight to anticipate what the defense will argue, and awareness so that you don’t make avoidable mistakes. Please continue to read our website to learn more about how to begin your sexual harassment case.
