Sexual Harassment at Work – Dana and Monica’s Stories
Today the INSIDER EXCLUSIVE “Goes Behind The Headlines” in SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT WORK – Dana and Monica’s Stories ….. to examine how Benjamin Yormak, @ Founder & Mgr Ptr, Yormak Employment & Disability Law is representing his clients…. all of whom have filed suit against Fawcett Memorial Hospital, the Charlotte Cardiovascular Institute, and a former Fawcett Hospital Cardiologist, Dr Cesar Yepes, who was arrested by the police and charged with battery. It’s believed he has fled back to his native Columbia.
In the fall of 1991 a stunned and confused nation watched a law professor charge a Supreme Court nominee with blatant sexual harassment on prime time television. Stunned….because never before had there been this kind of media attention to sexual harassment. Confused….because the lines can seem unclear and sexual harassment is inextricably aligned to perception.
Shortly thereafter the nightly news and national magazines carried stories of widespread sexual harassment and discrimination in the military. Those events brought to light something that millions of Americans already knew: sexual harassment is a pervasive, destructive, social, legal and ethical problem. And it is a problem which nurses have not escaped.
Sexual harassment, a form of sex discrimination, is one of the most persistent and destructive problems in the U.S. workplace. While potentially a problem for both sexes, the majority of sexual harassment is from men to women, and few working women have not experienced sexual harassment.
Although sexual harassment is clearly illegal, it continues, despite the high cost to the employee and the harassed individual. And, despite the protections of the law, many who have been harassed do not bring complaints. Sex role stereotyping, distribution of power and socialization are among the chief factors contributing to sexual harassment.
Filing charges can be humiliating. Victims may feel that their charges will be ignored or down played, or they may be accused of behavior that invited the offensive conduct. They may be ridiculed, face hostility or retaliation: poor work assignments, reduced hours, poor evaluations, or even the loss of a job. Still others don’t know their rights, are confused about where the lines are drawn, or simply don’t know what to do.
The Insider Exclusive Investigative News team discovered that that nurses, like most women, rarely reported incidents of sexual harassment to their supervisors. The greater the nurse’s distress, the less likely she is to report an incident. Sexual harassment is extremely costly in terms of both human dignity and human resources.
Fortunately, the laws to protect nurses from sexual harassment are already on the books. Compliance, sound institutional policy, and nurses fully understanding their legal rights continue to be problems. What is clear…. is that sexual harassment is against the law.
Since 1964, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act has prohibited discrimination in employment conditions because of an individual’s sex. In 1976, it was acknowledged that Title VII also prohibits sexual harassment as a form of sex discrimination. Unlawful hostile environment harassment may occur even where there has been no tangible job detriment, but where sexually harassing conduct is so severe or pervasive that it alters an employee’s working conditions. Nurses Associations strive to eliminate sexual harassment for nurses in all work settings. First and foremost, they recommend that preventive measures be established.
Dana Jackson, is a Cardiac Nurses, and Monica Gibbs is a secretary, at Fawcett Memorial Hospital , owned by Hospital Corporation of America. Their lawsuits state that “At all material times, that Fawcett Memorial Hospital and the Charlotte Cardiovascular Institute were aware of Dr Yepes’s sexual harassment, and didn’t do anything about it, and therefore are liable for their damages
Fawcett Memorial undertook to investigate the matter and interviewed witnesses, all of whom corroborated these victims’ version of the facts but somehow their investigation failed to conclude that Dr Yepes had engaged in sexual harassment. “The Hospital’s and the Institute’s inaction led these victims to be subjected to ridicule and a further hostile work environment after they reported the sexual harassment to the HOSPITAL,” the lawsuit reads.
Ben Yormak has earned the highest respect from citizens and lawyers alike…. as one of the best Trial lawyers in Ft Myers, Naples…. In Florida….. and in the United States
His goals….. Not only to get Justice for his clients…but to make sure that everyone is treated with equal respect and dignity as guaranteed under the Constitution of the United States. He has built a substantial reputation by consistently winning cases other law firms have turned down. His amazing courtroom skills and headline grabbing success rate continue to provide his clients with the results they need……And the results they deserve.
You can contact Ben Yormak @ http://www.yormaklaw.com/home.html or call (239) 985-9691