Illinois employees are protected from harassment and discrimination by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Illinois Human Rights Act, and other legislation. Unfortunately, sexual harassment continues to be an issue in Illinois and throughout the United States. Harassment can come in many forms. Some workers are exposed to crude jokes and offensive remarks. Others are touched inappropriately without their consent while simply trying to do their jobs. Employees may also deal with managers, supervisors, or employers who attempt to gain sexual favors by offering work-related benefits.

Research shows that workers in the manufacturing industry are exposed to sexual harassment at an especially high rate. Both women and men who work in manufacturing may be victims of sexual harassment. If you or a loved one were the victim of sexual harassment while working in the manufacturing industry, read on to learn about how to address the situation.  

Manufacturing Workers and Sexual Harassment

The Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) processed more than 85,000 sexual harassment complaints between 2005 and 2015. Just under 12 percent or about 10,000 of the sexual harassment reports came from the manufacturing industry.

Grandparents and grandchildren share a very special bond. If you are a grandparent, you know just how precious the relationship between grandkids and their grandparents can be. However, unexpected life circumstances can threaten the grandparent-grandchild relationship. Family arguments, divorce, or other issues can lead to grandparents being cut out of their grandchildren's lives. This can be devastating for all the parties involved. As a grandparent, it is important to understand your rights in a situation like this.

Grandparents' Right to Spend Time with Grandchildren

The law only allows children to have two parents or guardians. Typically, only parents are granted visitation rights. However, there are situations in which grandparents may be awarded visitation with a grandchild. If a grandparent gets visitation rights, they are guaranteed visitation per court order.

Grandparents may be able to get court-ordered visitation with grandchildren if one or more of the following statements are true:

 Sexual harassment has impacted the entertainment industry profoundly, and professional sports are no exception. Many different professional sports stars have been accused of sexual harassment or sexual assault throughout the past few years. In 2018, former Chicago Bears player Richard Dent was accused of sexual harassment by two women who allegedly interacted with him during business functions. Dent wanted to find out the identities of his accusers but was recently denied that opportunity by the Supreme Court.   

Football Star Accused of Harassment and “Drunk and Disorderly Behavior”

Richard Dent first learned of the allegations against him when two attorneys for Constellation NewEnergy met with him and explained the situation in September of 2018. The attorneys explained that a woman claimed he harassed her on two different occasions. The first incident was during a golfing event in 2016. The second incident occurred in 2018 at another work-related event. Furthermore, Dent was allegedly seen acting “drunk and disorderly” at a hotel in downtown Chicago.

Dent denied the accusations levied against him. However, his contracts with Constellation NewEnergy were quickly terminated.

Collecting stamps, coins, fine wines, or other collectibles is not just a fun hobby, it can also be extremely lucrative. If you are a collector, you know just how valuable collections can be. Collections are treated the same as any other assets during a divorce. This means that both spouses may have a right to an equitable share of the collection’s value. Valuing and dividing collections and other high-value assets during a divorce can be quite involved. For help, reach out to a divorce lawyer experienced in complex property division issues.

Who Has Ownership Rights of a Collection?

Many collectors spend years or even decades accumulating items. Often, the value of a collection is greater than the value of the objects individually. Not only do collections have monetary value, they also have significant sentimental value to the individual who worked hard to amass them.

Examples of collections that will need to be addressed during divorce include:

If you do a quick Google search for “sexual harassment,” you may notice that the results often assume that the perpetrator of the harassment is a man and the victim is a woman. While it is true that sexual harassment victims are more likely to be women, men can also be sexually harassed. Sexual harassment can happen to anyone of any gender, age, ethnicity, sexuality, or profession. Likewise, sexual harassment perpetrators may be men or women of any demographic.

Unfortunately, the stereotype of a male authority figure harassing a female subordinate has limited our view of sexual harassment in the workplace. Sometimes, this can make it harder for atypical harassment and discrimination victims to come forward and report the harassment. This is especially true of same-sex sexual harassment victims.

Sexual Harassment When The Victim and Perpetrator Are the Same Genders

When a woman is sexually harassed by another woman or a man is sexually harassed by another man, the victim is often hesitant to make a report. They may second guess themselves or wonder if they are overreacting to the situation. Some same-sex harassment victims may also be LGBT individuals who are still “in the closet” or simply want to keep their sexuality private. They worry that reporting the harassment will “out” them to co-workers.