Female-on-Male Sexual Harassment Produces $3.75 Million Verdict

27 Jul 2007

Prison Guard Allegedly Stalked Male Colleague

A six-foot prison guard, claiming that he was sexually harassed by a female guard (a co-worker, not a boss) was awarded $750,000 in actual damages and $3 million in punitive damages by a New Jersey jury.

The guard, Robert Lockley claimed that the harassment had taken a severe psychological toll on him.

The State of New Jersey denied the allegations, saying the case amounted to nothing more than two co-workers who didn't get along.

Gender stereotypes would tend to work against Lockley's claim. In order to overcome them the jury was told about the the impact the harassment had on the plaintiff's family.

The actions of the female co-worker, which began as flirtations, became more and more oppressive and frequent. Friends of the co-worker even joined with her in the ridiculing of Lockley.

The sexual harassment led Lockley to file a written complaint to his supervisor in July 1993. Senior management at the prison joked about his complaint, wondering why a man would not want to sleep with a woman.

The Department of Corrections did virtually nothing to stop the harassment.

The verdict demonstrates that employers have the responsibility under the law to assure that sexual harassment of any form is not tolerated or encouraged in the workplace.