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Allegations of sexual harassment at Yahoo

On Behalf of | Jul 21, 2014 | Sexual Harassment |

Some residents in Maryland may be surprised that an executive from another prominent technology corporation has been involved in sexual harassment claim. According to reports, a woman who was formerly employed by Yahoo is accusing an executive at the company of sexual harassment. In the lawsuit, the employee, an engineer, claims that the executive coerced her into having digital and oral sex. A spokesperson from Yahoo claims that there is no truth to the allegations levied against the executive. The spokesperson also claimed that the company would work to clear her name.

This is just one of many sexual harassment-related scandals to surface from corporate America in 2014. The co-founder of GitHub felt compelled to resign after a female employee filed issued complaints conduct. In addition, during early July, a former executive at Tinder filed a lawsuit claiming discrimination and sexual harassment against the mobile dating app company. The CEO of Urban Airship opted to take an extended leave of absence in July after he became the focus of sexual harassment complaints.

The Yahoo lawsuit claims the defendant threatened to take away the woman’s employment, stock options and any future employment aspirations if she failed to comply with her requests. The plaintiff claims that when she refused the defendant’s advances, peers were promoted over her, she was removed as the lead on projects and her performance reviews were downgraded by the defendant. The lawsuit also claims that Yahoo refused to launch a proper investigation when the complaint was brought to personnel in the human resources department, and the woman’s employment at the company was eventually terminated.

Individuals who face hostile work environments or quid pro quo sexual arrangements at work might have grounds to file a lawsuit against an employer. In addition, those who feel as though they have faced unfair treatment at the workplace could work with an attorney to pursue compensation.

Source: Washington Post, “Female executive at Yahoo sued for alleged sexual harassment“, Jena Mc Gregor, July 15, 2014