Massachusetts has very strict laws that protect employees from supervisors and sexual harassment.. An employer may be held responsible when a supervisor sexually harasses an employee. The company can be held responsible even if others in management didn’t know what was happening.
The United States Supreme Court recently held that a supervisor is someone who can take the following actions against an employee:
- hire
- fire
- fail to promote
- reassign, or
- make a decision that would cause a significant change in benefits
It is important to know that claims relating to supervisors and sexual harassment have a very short shelf life. This is known as a “statute of limitations.” The claims must be filed within a 300 day time frame. If your claim isn’t timely, you may lose all of your rights. A discussion of the statute of sexual harassment by supervisors limitations can be found on the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination’s website. Here you will find information on what is considered to be an unreasonable delay and what the Commission considers to be a “continuing violation.”
The employee may bring claims against the supervisor directly as well as against the company. This is a decision that an employee must make before filing a claim at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. An employment lawyer can help you decide whether you have a strong claim, and who should be named in the charge.
If you would like to find out more about claims relating to supervisors and sexual harassment, please contact Maura Greene at 617-936-1580 or by email at maura@mauragreenelaw.com to discuss whether you have a claim for sexual harassment by a supervisor. Maura Greene was listed in 2015, 2014, and 2013 in The Boston Globe as one of Boston’s highest rated employment attorneys. She has also been named as a Super Lawyer in 2015, 2014 and 2013 employment. Call us, we’re friendly!