Sexual Harassment Lawsuits in Alabama

Sometimes it may seem like the Deep South lags behind in certain areas of social justice, and the legal system can be a bit clunky for victims of certain crimes. 

However, sexual harassment lawsuits in Alabama are still very much in play, and victims have legal options. 

Recently, two women filed a lawsuit against Andalusia Health Center, alleging that a male nurse had sexually victimized them both. They were worried that other women had also experienced it behind closed doors. 

Naushia Hill and Kathleen Cain, both former patients of the hospital, claimed to have been subject to inappropriate touching and sexual advances. One of the women’s lawyers said that she felt compelled to discharge herself prematurely from the hospital just to avoid the sexually predatorial attention of the nurse in question. 

The two women filed their suit with the Circuit Court for Covington County, Alabama, and the proceedings are still ongoing. The health center denies all wrongdoing and insists everything that was done was within their scope of work. 

In the past, these two women may have gone on in silence. But today, they’re getting a chance in court to plead their case.

If you’re the victim of sexual harassment in Alabama, know that you have legal options. Get in contact with an experienced sexual harassment attorney in Alabama today. 

What is sexual harassment? 

There are two types of sexual harassment: 

• Hostile environment sexual harassment
• Quid-pro-quo sexual harassment

The scenario that occurred at Andalusia Health falls under the “hostile environment” type of sexual harassment, which is when someone is subject to any sort of sexual act that puts them in a hostile setting. This can include, but is not limited to: 

• Sexually aggressive comments
• Unwanted touching, sexual advances, or rape 
• Stalking, or spamming someone’s phone
• Unsolicited sexualized photos or pornography

Quid-pro-quo sexual harassment usually happens in the workplace and involves a power imbalance. It’s when someone tries to trade some type of career or job benefit in exchange for sexual favor to a lower-ranking person. For example, a boss offering an intern a pay raise or promotion in exchange for oral sex.

These things are illegal and can be treated as such.

Are there laws against sexual harassment? 

Sexual harassment is banned under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sex-based discrimination, including the two main types of sexual harassment. However, this law only applies in the workplace to companies with more than 15 employees, which is why most states have their own state-level laws. Since Alabama doesn’t have a state-level law on sexual harassment, you will have to work with your attorney to invoke Title VII or perhaps another legal route depending on your situation.

Since sexual harassment lawsuits are time-sensitive, get in touch with an experienced lawyer right away to begin the legal process.