Considerations regarding harassment-related emotional distress

Posted in Sexual Harassment on January 17, 2017

Any person suffering from the sexually harassing conduct of a co-employee, manager or other individual at the workplace is obviously emotionally affected in a materially adverse way. Such treatment is often degrading and truly frightening. And, of course, it can pose a starkly dangerous challenge for a victim.

We duly note that in an article on our website at the California law firm of Winer, McKenna, Burritt & Tillis LLP, where, from multiple offices across the state, we provide aggressive, impassioned and proven legal advocacy on behalf of sexual harassment victims.

We state the obvious in that narrative, namely, that workplace-based mistreatment “can take a significant toll on a person’s emotional and psychological well-being.”

It is imperative to communicate that key fact to a judge and jury, and our firm is well prepared to do that for every client we represent. In many sexual harassment cases, victims are not well empowered at the workplace by being highly positioned and working at an impressively high compensation level. A punitive damage award can be critically important for them, and recognition of the emotional distress that a victim has suffered can go far toward increasing its amount.

However, it is far from routinely being the case that third parties can be readily and easily convinced of the existence of a victim’s emotional distress and the extent to which it has undermined his or her physical and mental health.

It is our job to do that, with Winer, McKenna lawyers employing well-considered and tailored strategies to effectively communicate important points at trial. Input from a therapist can be vitally important, with strong testimony offered by a psychological expert also being highly influential with a jury in many instances. Third-party testimony from co-workers, family members, friends and acquaintances can also be persuasive.

We work hard to prepare harassment victims to make their strongest case, seeking to fully safeguard their rights and promote optimal outcomes that are reflected by meaningful money recoveries and related remedies.

We welcome readers’ contacts to the firm, and the opportunity to advocate diligently on behalf of those who need our professional help to respond forcefully against unlawful workplace behaviors.