What Is The Difference Between Sexual Assault And Sexual Harassment?

Both state and federal anti-sex discrimination laws prohibit sexual harassment. In instances where the following circumstances apply, unwanted sexual conduct includes unsolicited sexual advances, verbal behavior, physical conduct, and requests for sexual favors:

• You act on these unwanted advances as a necessary or voluntary condition of your employment, whether it is an explicit or implied prerequisite;
• The promise or rejection of the behavior is taken into account in personnel decisions;
• Conduct that is unreasonable impedes your ability to perform your tasks, or creates an intimidating or hostile working environment;
• You are subjected to sexual displays of offensive material or inappropriate jokes on an ongoing basis.

What Is Sexual Assault?

Without your consent, you may be the victim of sexual assault if you are the target of deliberate, physical contact that is sexual in nature. Unwanted sexual touching, rape and other forms of similar misconduct are examples of this. There are circumstances in which a person may not be able to physically or vocally resist, even if they are intoxicated, unconscious, or otherwise physically incapacitated. You do not consent by verbally or physically refusing the advances.

A Comparison Of sexual Harassment And sexual Assault

In the context of your employment, sexual harassment may be unlawful while it is not necessarily unlawful under criminal law. You might be able to seek damages for prohibited sexual harassment through state or federal civil rights legislation.

Sexual assault is defined as a crime that is committed against another person, regardless of their employment. However, sexual assault can occur in the workplace. It’s conceivable that some victims may be exposed to sexual harassment or criminal sexual assault while working.

If You’ve Been Subjected To Workplace Sexual Harassment Or Assault, What Should You Do?

You may have legal rights under both the state criminal and civil laws if you have been the victim of sexual harassment or assault at work. If you believe you’ve been the victim of sexual harassment or assault, you should consult with a qualified employment lawyer at Texas Personal Injury Lawyers immediately. If the behavior was criminal in nature, your attorneys can assist you in reporting it to the proper authorities. They can also assist you in filing complaints with the appropriate federal and state authorities. To discover more about your possible case and your rights, give us a call now.

Call our legal team immediately at (888) 997-2148 to schedule a free case evaluation with one of our experienced sexual harassment lawyers and it will be your initial step toward receiving fair and just compensation. We take cases on a contingency fee basis and there are no costs unless we win, and the consultation is completely free.