LOS ANGELES— Attorney Carney Shegerian, founder of the Los Angeles-based employment discrimination firm Shegerian & Associates, has released comments on the recent sexual harassment case involving ex Berkeley Law School dean, Sujit Choudhry. Choudhry has resigned amidst allegations that he repeatedly hugged and kissed his assistant, Tyann Sorrell at her desk roughly from September 2014 to March 2015.
“The dynamics of this case are noteworthy,” said Shegerian. “Of particular interest is the response from Berkeley Law School administrators and their way of addressing Sorrell’s complaints. An employer’s response to sexual harassment complaints is crucial. It must directly address the situation on a level that is reasonable and thorough.”
“Here, the law school administration received heavy criticism for merely reprimanding the dean for his behavior with a slight pay cut and mandatory training. Had the administration gone one step further and terminated the dean, the outcome may have been drastically different,” Shegerian went on to say.
“Sexual harassment in the workplace is a serious and egregious offense. An employer’s response must be equally non-tolerant and never half-hearted or overly protective of those who are at fault. Such responses can stand diametrically opposed to any zero tolerance policies prohibiting sex discrimination and harassment in the workplace,” Shegerian commented.
“While it sounds like administrators are now very open to advice on better ways to handle sexual harassment claims in light of the law school’s zero tolerance sexual harassment policy, they have had to learn the hard way that sexual harassment in the workplace is a matter to be taken seriously and to be met with objective and reasonable consideration of employee rights.”
Located in Santa Monica, Shegerian & Associates is a law firm specializing in protecting the rights of employees who have been wronged by their employers. Richly experienced in labor and employment law and possessing an unparalleled success record as litigators (Carney Shegerian, Trial Lawyer of the Year Award winner for 2013, has won 73 jury trials in his career, including 31 seven figure verdicts), Shegerian & Associates is passionately dedicated to serving the needs of its clients. For more information about the firm, visit www.ShegerianLaw.com.
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