A Court Ruling on Title VII Harassment Claim

Vol. 5
No. 4
Spring 2000

INSIDE

More on Workplace Romance -
Dating, Harassment, Court Rulings
and More!

Allergies and Asthma in the Workplace
- Deserve Attention

Drug Testing of Workers
Is Not Cost Effective Says ACLU

New Concerns About Union Organizing and E-mail

Some Employers Crack Down on Personal Online Time

Briefs

Braun Consulting News
News on Personnel, Labor Relations and Benefits

See our Archive Pages for Back Issues of Braun Consulting News!

More On Workplace Romance -
2. A Court Ruling on Title VII Harassment Claim

A federal district court ruled that the "classic setting of a love affair gone awry" did not constitute gender-based sexual harassment. For a male teacher who claims he was harassed by a female co-worker following the breakup of their romance this means he cannot sue the school board under Title VII.

After a married teacher broke off a relationship with a co-worker she made verbal threats, left notes on his car, and embarrassed him in front of his students and other teachers. He filed a written complaint resulting in the principal verbally reprimanding both teachers telling them to keep their personal problems out of the workplace.

He then sued under Title VII, alleging a sexually hostile work environment. Dismissing the case, the court found that his former lover's harassment "arises not out of the fact that plaintiff is male, but rather, out of termination of the intimate physical and emotional relationship she shared with him."

Acknowledging that case law on the question is sparse, the court reasoned that "if an employer cannot be held liable for harassment in a supervisor-to-employee context following the end of a consensual personal relationship where the harassment has not been shown to be gender-based, it stands to reason that it should also not be held liable in the co-worker to co-worker context under similar circumstances". (Succar v. Dad County Sch. Bd., S.D. Fla., No. 97-3284-CIV, 8/24/99

3. Can Fired Mistress Sue for Sex Discrimination?

The Contents of this News Letter are intended for general information
and should not be construed as legal advise or opinion.
Click Here to view our Web Site Disclaimer Page.

*INSIDE * HOME * ARCHIVES

Braun Consulting Group
* Insurance * Labor * Personnel

1326 5th Ave, Suite 339 / Seattle, WA 98101
Contact Braun-BCG