Sexual Harassment: Teenager To Get $750,000 For Roughhousing By Supervisor

A recent case illustrates that sexual harassment claims can encompass actions other than traditional sexually oriented conduct. A 15-year-old student who was hired to answer the telephone at a nonprofit agency in the San Francisco area will receive $750,000 in a confidential settlement of his claim that a supervisor harassed him through aggressive “roughhousing” and tests of strength. Although both the supervisor and the employer denied that anything sexual had occurred, a psychiatrist termed the conduct “sexual assault” because he said it was for the purpose ofthe supervisor’s sexual gratification.