Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Actionable sexual harassment is defined as a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In recent years, there have been a number of significant developments in sexual harassment case law and litigation including: (1) nationwide legal recognition for same-sex sexual harassment; (2) increased standards on employer liability for sexual harassment perpetrated by supervisory and managerial personnel; and (3) guidelines for mitigating damages when employers are found liable. These developments are of particular concern in those professions such as healthcare in which women historically have been represented as a significant portion of the workforce. Moreover, because management and supervisory relationships in healthcare are often cloudy, harassment by “supervisors” in healthcare settings can be an issue of special concern. In this article, we review relevant issues related to sexual harassment and provide guidance in dealing with the issue in the workplace.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Barnes v. Costle, 561 F.2d 983 (D.C. Cir. 1977).

Barrett v. Omaha National Bank, 726 F.2d 424 (8th Cir. 1984).

Blout v. Sterling Healthcare Group, Inc., 934 F.Supp. 1365 (S.D. Fla. 1996).

Bourque v. Powell Electrical Manufacturing, 617 F.2d 61 (5th Cir. 1980).

Bundy v. Jackson, 641 F.2d 934 (D.C. Cir. 1980).

Burlington v. Ellerth, 524 U.S. 742 (1998).

Butler v. Ysleta Independent School Dist., 161 F.3d 263 (5th Cir. 1998)

California Government Code, § 12920 (2000).

Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq. (2000).

10.

Connecticut General Statues, §§ 4a-81 et seq. (1999).

11.

Davidhizar

, Erdel

, and Dowd

(1998). Sexual Harassment: Where to Draw the Line. Nursing Management 29 (2): 40–43.

12.

DeAngelis v. El Paso Municipal Police Officers Ass'n., 51 F.3d591 (5th Cir. 1995).

13.

Decker

P. J.

(1997). Sexual Harassment in Health Care: A Major Productivity Problem. The Healthcare Supervisor 16 (1): 1–14.

14.

DeSantis v. Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co., 608 F.2d 327 (9th Cir. 1979).

15.

District of Columbia Code, § 1–2501 (1999).

16.

EEOC v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 1999 U.S. App. LEXIS 29858 (November 15, 1999).

17.

Faragher v. City of Boca Raton, 524 U.S. 775 (1998).

18.

Ford Motor Co. v. EEOC, 458 U.S. 219 (1982).

19.

Garner

and Johnson

. (2001). Sexual Harassment in Healthcare: Strategies for Employers. Hospital Topics 79 (4): 5–11.

20.

Hamner v. St. Vincent Hospital and Health Care Center, 2000 U.S. App. LEXIS 21421 (August 24, 2000).

21.

Harris v. Forklift Systems, Inc., 510 U.S. 17 (1993).

22.

Hawaii Revised Statutes, § 378–2 (1999).

23.

Henson v. City of Dundee, 682 F.2d 897 (11th Cir. 1982).

24.

Holman v. State of Indiana and Indiana DOT, 211 F.3d 399 (7th Cir. 2000).

25.

Holman v. State of Indiana, 24 F.Supp. 909 (N.D. In. 1998).

26.

Holloway v. Arthur Andersen & Co., 566 F.2d 659 (9th Cir. 1977).

27.

Jones v. Flagship International, 793 F.2d 714 (5th Cir. 1986).

28.

Joyner v. AAA Cooper Transportation, 597 F.Supp. 537 (M.D. Ala. 1983).

29.

Katz v. Dole, 709 F.2d 251 (4th Cir. 1983).

30.

Kopp v. Samaritan Health Systems, Inc., 13 F.3d 264 (8th Cir. 1993).

31.

Kolstad v. American Dental Association, 527 U.S. 526 (1999).

32.

Lee

R. D.

Jr. and Greenlaw

P. S.

(1996). The Complexities of Human Behavior: Recent Instances of Alleged Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment. Review of Public Personnel Management 16 (4): 15–28.

33.

Massachusetts Annotated Laws, Ch. 151B, § 4 (2000).

34.

McWilliams v. Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, 72 F.3d 1191 (4th Cir. 1996).

35.

Meritor Savings Bank FSB v. Vinson, 477 U.S. 57 (1986).

36.

Miller v. Bank of America, 600 F.2d 211 (9th Cir. 1979).

37.

Minnesota Statutes, § 363.03 (1999).

38.

Nash v. Electrospace Systems, Inc., 9 F.3d 401 (5th Cir. 1993).

39.

New Jersey Statutes, § 10:5-4 (2000).

40.

Oncale v. Sundowners Offshore Services, Inc., 523 U.S. 75 (1998).

41.

Phillips v. Smalley Maintenance Service, 711 F.2d 1524 (11th Cir. 1983).

42.

Polly v. Houston Lighting & Power Co., 825 F.Supp 135 (S.D. Tex. 1993).

43.

Quiroz v. Hartgrove Hospital, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4595 (N.D. Ill 1999).

44.

Rehnquist

William

(1996). The Future of the Federal Courts. American University Law Review 46: 265.

45.

Rhode Island General Laws, 1956 §§ 28–57 (1999).

46.

Robinson

R. K.

, Franklin

G. M.

., and, Fink

R. L.

(1993). Sexual Harassment at Work: Issues and Answers for Health Care Administrators. Hospital & Health Services Administration 38 (2): 167–180.

47.

Robinson

R. K.

, Frink

D. D.

, Reithel

B. J.

, and, Franklin

G. M.

(1998). Vicarious Liability for Hostile Environment Sexual Harassment: Examining the Implications of the Ellerth and Faragher Decisions. Labor Law Journal 49 (8): 1232–1240.

48.

Sims v. Health Midwest Physician Services Corporation, 196 F.3d 915 (8th Cir. 1999).

49.

Slattery v. HCA Wesley Rehabilitation Hosp., Inc., 83 F. Supp. 2d 1224 (D. Kan. 2000).

50.

Smith v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., 569 F.2d 325 (5th Cir. 1978).

51.

Sommens v. Budget Marketing, Inc., 667 F.2d 748 (8th Cir. 1982).

52.

Sparks v. Pilot Freight Carriers, Inc., 830 F.2d 1554 (11th Cir. 1989).

53.

Steele v. Offshore Shipping, Inc., 867 F.2d 1311 (11th Cir. 1989).

54.

Trujillo v. University of Colo. Health Sciences Ctr., 157 F.3d 1211 (10th Cir. 1998).

55.

Ulane v. Eastern Airlines, 742 F.2d 1081 (7th Cir. 1984); cert. denied 471 U.S. 1017 (1985).

56.

U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (July 11, 2000). Trends in Harassment Charges Filed with the EEOC During the 1980s and 1990s.

57.

U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2001). Guidelines on Sex Discrimination. 29 C.F.R. §.

58.

1604.11. U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2002). Sexual Harassment Charges EEOC & FEPAs Combined: FY 1992–FY 2001.

59.

Vermont Statutes Annotated, Title 21, § 495 (2000).

60.

Voyles v. Ralph K. Davies Medical Center, 403 F.Supp 456 (N.D. Cal. 1975); aff d mem. 570 F.2d 354 (9th Cir. 1978).

61.

Wallace v. Texas Tech Univ., 80 F.3d 1042 (5th Cir. 1996).

62.

Wiggins

(2000). Health managers at work: Women and men of healthcare, be careful out there! Hospital Topics 78 (4): 21–25.

63.

Wisconsin Statutes, § 111.31 (1999).

64.

Wright v. Methodist Youth Services, Inc., 511. F. Supp 307 (N.D. Ill. 1981).

65.

Young v. Southwestern Savings and Loan Association, 509 F.2d 140 (5th Cir. 1975).

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: Guidelines for Educating Healthcare Managers

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References