Harassment

Workplace harassment, although a serious issue, can be a loosely defined term which many employees use to accuse companies unfairly, often in retaliation or in an effort to seek other profits. Because of this, many companies face baseless claims of harassment in the workplace, or unreasonable hostile environment claims, which can be extremely detrimental to productivity, profitability, and workplace efficiency when they are not effectively managed by skilled legal representatives.

At Adam Pugh, our legal team is prepared to aggressively defend your firm against litigious employees, whether former or present, and will work diligently to help ensure that the interests of your company are protected to the fullest extent of the law. To learn more about how our team of Austin harassment lawyers can work with you to overcome employment lawsuits, call us today.

Actionable Harassment

In Texas, harassment is defined as being physically or verbally abusive toward a person at the workplace. Facing claims of harassment can be immensely damaging to a company, and, as such, our legal team is prepared to help you fight against harassment claims involving:

• Age
• Race
• Sex
• Religion
• Nationality
• Handicaps or disabilities (including obesity)

In addition to harassment claims involving these factors, sexual harassment claims are often brought against employers and companies. Our attorneys understand how damaging any of these claims can be for a company and are prepared to take any action possible to prevent you and your company from suffering these effects.

Contact Us

If your company is facing a harassment lawsuit filed by a current or former employee, it is important that you have skilled legal representation in order to protect your company’s interests against unnecessary and unwarranted harm. For a free consultation to discuss the details of any threatened or pending harassment lawsuit, contact the experienced Texas harassment attorneys at Adam Pugh, today.

Harassment FAQs

What are some common forms of workplace harassment?

Workplace harassment comes in many forms and may be based on a number of factors, including age, sex, religion, sexuality, race, and disabilities. Sexual harassment is one of the most common forms of harassment in the workplace and can involve unwanted touching, requests for sexual favors, and lewd jokes. Racial jokes and slurs, mocking disabilities, sending hateful messages because of another’s religious beliefs or nationality all also constitute harassment. Harassment may be verbal or physical and can range from inappropriate jokes to outright violence and threats. All of the above examples are serious instances of workplace harassment. However, all too often, employees take advantage of workplace harassment laws and make claims for instances of harassment that do not constitute harassment in order to wrongfully gain compensation from their employer. If an employee has wrongfully waged a harassment claim against your company, your reputation may be on the line.

Can an employee be fired for making a false harassment claim?

The same laws that protect employees from harassment and discrimination in the workplace also protect employees from retaliation from their employers when they take steps to report and put a stop to the harassment they have been experiencing. Because of these protections, it is dangerous to fire an employee for making a harassment claim, even if this claim is, or appears to be, false. Some of the federal protections in place for employees include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. These federal laws prevent employers from retaliating against employees for making a complaint, both internally and with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. If the claim is later determined to be false, you may be able to terminate that employee with counsel from a skilled legal practitioner before making such a decision to ensure that you are protected from further legal action for firing that employee.

What should I do if an employee makes a false harassment claim?

If you are currently in a situation where an employee is making a harassment claim that you know to be false, you should immediately seek legal counsel to ensure that your company and your reputation are protected. A false harassment claim can have harrowing effects for employers, so it is best to protect your business interests and seek legal counsel to ensure you are protected from this false claim. An attorney can help you find evidence to prove the falsehood of the claim and inform you of how best to protect your interests.