Keeping evidence of your sexual harassment claim is critically important. The documents and other evidence you keep can make or break your sexual harassment case. It proves the abuse you suffered and gives you the documentation necessary to sustain your claim. With it, you and your attorney can work to establish what happened, who is at fault, and what compensation you are owed.
The dedicated Kentucky sexual harassment and employment lawyers at Abney Law will help you preserve critical evidence in your case. We discuss what types of evidence you should keep and how it can help you win compensation.
What Is Sexual Harassment in the Workplace?
Sexual harassment can include a wide variety of conduct. It may include sexual acts or advances while you are at work. It may also include non-sexual activity, but instead be harassment based on your gender or gender identity. Frequent or severe acts by another employee, supervisor, or other third party could constitute sexual harassment and entitle you to file a claim.
Common examples of sexual harassment in the workplace include, but are not limited to:
- Unwanted physical touching or sexual advances
- Lewd gestures
- Frequent sexual jokes
- Stalking
- Offensive or crude phrases and words
- Requests for sexual favors or quid pro quo
- Offensive remarks about a person’s sex or gender
- Threats of sexual violence
These and many other acts may constitute sexual harassment and entitle you to compensation if you keep the right evidence.
How To Document Sexual Harassment to Protect Your Claim
Preserving documentation and other evidence is critical to a successful sexual harassment claim. The perpetrator will almost certainly deny the allegations. It is critical you keep a detailed record of everything possible to refute these denials. A basic rule is: keep everything. If you are in doubt about whether it is relevant, keep it and let your attorney make that decision later.
To document sexual harassment, you should take the following steps:
- Take Immediate Notes: A contemporaneous account of what happened is invaluable. Take notes immediately after abuse happens so it is fresh in your mind. Write down specifics and quote the abuser whenever possible. Record the date and time of the incident and the date and time you wrote the notes.
- Create a Timeline: Create a list of all of the events in chronological order. This helps organize what happened and lay out a pattern of sexual harassment necessary to establish your claim.
- Collect Witness Information: Write down the names and contact information of anyone who witnessed the harassment. Their later testimony can be invaluable in proving your sexual harassment claim.
- Collect Video or Audio Evidence: Keep any video or audio evidence of the abuse. For example, find security cameras that may have witnessed the event, videos sent to you, voicemails, or any other recordings.
- Include Workplace Complaints: Include any efforts you made in the workplace to report or remediate the behavior. This might include complaints to Human Resources or other internal processes for reporting the sexual harassment. Also include your employer’s or supervisor’s response to your report.
- Speak with a Kentucky Sexual Harassment Lawyer: Sexual harassment cases are complex. Speak with an attorney right away to learn how to preserve evidence and file your case appropriately.
Preserve Sexual Harassment Evidence in Kentucky Employment Cases
A skilled Kentucky sexual harassment lawyer stands ready to help you collect and preserve your evidence. You and your attorney can file your claim and work to resolve the issues. This could help you win significant compensation, preserve your job, and much more.Let the experienced employment law attorneys at Abney Law help you fight back against sexual harassment. Contact us today for a consultation of your case.