Dallas Sexual Harassment Lawsuit

In an April 24, 2009 article by Jason Whitely at WFAA.com entitled “DFR To Face Second Sexual Harassment Lawsuit,” the Dallas and Fort Worth news station reports that Dallas Fire-Rescue faces more explosive allegations of sexual harassment against female employees in a lawsuit filed by an attorney on behalf of a victim.  See, http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa090423_mo_.10514 .  According to the news report, this sexual harassment lawsuit involving Dallas Fire-Rescue is the second DFR faces over sexual harassment.  As stated in the article, the Dallas City Council has approved hiring an independent investigator to look into sexual harassment issues.  A Dallas City Attorney would not address the harassment allegations, but the alleged sexual harassment victim’s attorney was quoted in the article as saying that “This isn’t a priority despite Chief [Eddie] Burn’s public promise to the citizens.”

In Texas, the Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division (”TWCCRD”) enforces the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act; which has been codified into Texas Labor Code, Chapter 21.  Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that violates Chapter 21 of the Texas Labor Code and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  According to the TWCCRD “Employment Discrimination Fact Sheets” found at http://www.twc.state.tx.us/crd/facts.html , unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.  For its own part, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (”EEOC”) enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination, including sexual harassment.  Further information about the EEOC may be found in the federal agency’s website at www.eeoc.gov .

Whether workplace sexual harassment occurs in Dallas, Fort Worth, Lubbock or elsewhere in Texas, victims of sexual employment discrimination may contact the TWCCRD and the EEOC, as well as a Texas attorney or lawyer to determine if a sexual harassment lawsuit may ulitmately be appropriate under the particular facts and circumstances of the potential sexual harassment claim.