William J. Milani and Nancy Gunzenhauser Popper, attorneys in the Employment, Labor & Workforce Management practice, in the firm’s New York office, contributed to a chapter of the International Lawyers Network’s collaborative thought leadership resource “Sexual Harassment in the Workplace.”
This resource was previously published in September 2018.
Following is an excerpt:
Are employers required to provide sexual harassment training for their employees?
EBG & D&G: Some states and localities require some form of sexual harassment training for private employers: California, Connecticut, Maine, New York and New York City. Most states do not require such training, but courts of law tend to look favorably on employers who mandate sexual harassment trainings.
What are the liabilities and damages for sexual harassment and where do they fall?
EBG: Employees seeking damages for sexual harassment may be entitled to back pay, front pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and attorney’s fees. Contingent on the size of the employer, compensatory and punitive damages are limited under Title VII.
- For employers with 15-100 employees, the limit is $50,000.
- For employers with 101-200 employees, the limit is $100,000.
- For employers with 201-500 employees, the limit is $200,000.
- For employers with more than 500 employees, the limit is $300,000.
Damages sought under state and local harassment laws may be significantly higher.
