For some reason I’m having problems copying and pasting but check the EEOC website about retailatory firing. An emplyee cannot be fired in retaliation for making a sexual harassment claim.
As for Garrison Keillor, in recent years his broadcasts have been so mean spirited. Good riddance.
This is absolutely a watershed period in history. All these guys have been bad actors for as long as anyone can remember. Their not being able to get away with stuff they used to do with impunity is so new that it’s still a shock. If this continues to be the trend, and it certainly appears like it is, things are going to be very different going forward and that is a good thing
Nope. But they can so easily come up with other reasons. Employers have a huge amount of leeway. And even if you stay, you will NEVER get promoted, or get a decent raise or bonus again.
In other news, many drugs are illegal, you can’t drive drunk and it’s against the law to kill people…
So if you are fired, you file a lawsuit for retaliation. No lawsuit process is every easy. But there is a remedy in the law.
To follow up on my prior post: good lawyers are honest with their clients. If somebody came to me and described a sexual harassment incident, I’d want to know how strong the proof was. If there wasn’t much proof–even if I believed the client–I’d have to point out the risks of making, and then losing, such a claim. I suspect that most claims would be pretty hard to prove.
Savannah Guthrie gets at the mixed feelings we have when someone we love or admire turns out to be a sexual harasser or worse:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/29/matt-lauer-nbc-fired-misconduct
Yay, sue them and get grilled on your own past sexual behavior, clothing choices, and decisions on being alone with your assailant. And that publicity really makes other employers excited to hire you!
Lawyers are not lining up to take on, for free, sexual harassment lawsuits they think they will lose. Thus, a woman who is harassed and wants to sue is probably going to have to pay for the lawsuit herself.
Which high profile person has been reported on and now we’ve had proof that the accusations aren’t true?
Not the point. It should make people uncomfortable when a person’s word is enough to ruin another person’s life. That type of power needs to be kept in check.
I thought people were innocent until proven guilty?
I hate that it sounds as if I’m defending bad actors. I think if found guilty they are totally deserving of all sorts of severe repercussions. It’s just that it feels as if there is a rush to judgment and that the accused have to prove their innocence rather than the other way around.
Please give some examples of someone being fired over a word. I am genuinely curious here. These “swift firings” may not be as swift as they appear. The ML fall did not happen overnight or over one word.
@fractalmstr I disagree. It is the point.
We haven’t yet found ways to protect women (and children) that we know are being harassed and abused by men but you are ready to jump ahead to protect the hypothetical high profile men who may someday be falsely accused?
And I’m not even sure which cases we’ve had where one person’s word was enough to ruin another person’s life? An example of that would be helpful as well.
Just in general, far more people are fired for reporting harassment than are fired for having harassment reported against them
The only ones I can think of are UVa “Jackie” for which Rolling Stone is now having to pay for the defamation and Matress Girl.
I’m adding to the chorus about asking which one person’s word has been enough to ruin another person’s life? I’m assuming we’re talking about the period since the (apparently well-substantiated) Ailes and O’Reilly accusations.
“Innocent until proven guilty” is the rule for a court of law. The court of public opinion, employers, girlfriends, boyfriends, etc. can do as they choose. So far there have been no criminal charges in this latest torrent of accusations. If and when there are, then we will see about proving people guilty or not. I think for years the inability to “prove” he said/she said accusations has kept these things from being addressed. This might be some watershed moment when we actually start dealing head-on with these behaviors instead of whispering to our colleagues not to get into an elevator alone with so-and-so.
Sure, how are Susie’s accusations against the head stock clerk at the local Walmart going to make national news?
I don’t think no research is done with accusations and the ensuing repercussions.
If so, the case of the woman who went to the Washington Post would have been believed as true immediately when she reported it.
…But it wasn’t and proper due diligence was done…and she was found to have been faking it.
@TatinG -Was “Mattress Girl” lying? I didn’t hear about that.