Pennsylvania Workplace Sexual Assault

Every employee has the legal right to a safe workplace free from harassment, discrimination, and sexual abuse. Unfortunately, that’s not always the reality. If you’ve been sexually assaulted at work—whether by a manager, co-worker, customer, or vendor—you have legal rights and options, and we’re here to help you understand them.

Under Pennsylvania law and federal regulation, your employer is legally required to address reports of sexual abuse and harassment and protect you from further harm and retaliation. Unfortunately, many companies fail to take proper action, which can cause more harm to happen.

Examples of workplace sexual assault can include unwanted touching or groping, forced sexual acts, coerced sexual activity in exchange for job benefits (which is also known as quid pro quo sexual harassment), or being drugged or assaulted at work events. If any of these have happened to you, you have options and rights.

To pursue these rights, we recommend first documenting as much as you can, including writing down what happened, when, where, who was involved, and any potential witnesses. This also includes saving any evidence like text messages, emails, or any communications related to the incident, if available.

Second, the next step is to report the harm to management or a human resources department, which should be done in writing. Your employer is required to investigate the complaints and document this entire process.

If your employer ignores your complaints, retaliates against you—such as placing you on leave—or fails to stop the harm, you may be able to file a civil lawsuit. But it’s important to act quickly. Pennsylvania law has strict deadlines for filing workplace sexual assault claims. For example, those impacted only have 180 days from the date of the incident to file a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, and only a bit more time to file with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Knowing who to file with and how to complete these processes can be incredibly complicated, which is why speaking with an experienced workplace sexual assault lawyer in Pennsylvania as soon as possible is critical.

We can connect you with an experienced lawyer who can help you understand the reporting processes, protect your rights throughout, and file a civil lawsuit if they believe this is the best option for you. Helping Survivors can get you in touch with someone today. Please reach out to us if you think we can help.