State workers should be highly educated individuals that treat both coworkers and the people they are serving with a sufficient amount of respect. However, there have still been many lawsuits in the past against them citing incidents of sexual harassment and gender discrimination. People trust these individuals to be courteous workers, but some choose to shatter that trust and put others in danger in the process.
In the last few years, there have been a wide assortment of legal incidents within state workplaces. However, many accused workers still continue their jobs after the supposed victim’s compensation. A recent article by NBC New York highlights how many have kept their positions after controversial lawsuits, how much has been paid by the taxpayers to compensate and why so many continue to operate.
Silenced settlement
According to NBC New York, the state has paid more than $5 million to settle lawsuits against 70 state employees that faced accusations of sexual harassment and discrimination. The state payroll records revealed that nearly half of these workers have kept their jobs. The article highlights two incidents where the victim filed a lawsuit after the accused sexually harassed or assaulted them. These victims were given thousands of dollars by the state and both cases ended with no one admitting to any wrongdoing and the accused continuing on with their job.
The results warranted mixed responses from the state workers. Some state that few of these accusations are true after investigation, so getting rid of the case quicker with taxpayer money is necessary. Others believe that while the supposed victim should receive proper compensation, there should be more effort towards solving the potential problem with the accused rather than acting like nothing ever happened.
Will it change?
In the last year, New York has passed several laws to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. This includes further training on the subject for employers and making it easier for the state to seek out reimbursement for liable workers. This could have a dramatic effect on how many state workers face discrimination or harassment lawsuits and the respective fallouts of those cases.
Whether you are an employee falsely accused or a victim of a guilty individual, you need to spend time understanding how these new laws could affect your case. Getting legal assistance is recommended as an employment law trial can have drastic effects on your immediate and far future of your career.
