Sexual harassment is not easy to deal with. It can leave you scared, ashamed, and confused. You may need time to process everything that has happened, but you also need to remember that because of the statute of limitations, you only have a certain amount of time to report the incident and file a sexual harassment claim.
What is Sexual Harassment?
Unfortunately, sexual harassment in the workplace is not uncommon. Sexual harassment includes any unwelcome sexual advances, special requests for sexual favors, verbal sexual conduct, or physical conduct. These advances usually happen more than once and sometimes continue even after being told to stop.
What is the Statute of Limitations?
Statute of limitations is defined by Legalmatch.com as a restricted amount of time a victim has to come forward with a sexual abuse claim. There are some plans in the works to extend the current statute of limitation laws. But as of now, each state has its own time frame.
In the state of Arizona, the victim of sexual harassment has 300 days from the alleged incident to file a charge against an employer to the Civil Rights Division. If you are looking to file to the Attorney General, you have 180 days from the date of the incident to do this.
Steps to Filing a Sexual Harassment Claim
The first thing to do when experiencing sexual harassment is to report it right away to the person in charge at work. You should also report it to the police right away so a police report can be filed. All claims should be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated.
After reporting the incident, seek legal advice and representation from an experienced lawyer. Your lawyer will be able to handle your case from collecting evidence to dealing with the accuser’s legal team. This way, you can focus on getting back to your life.
How Workplaces Can Prevent Sexual Harassment
Every employer should have a sexual harassment plan in place. This means they should train their staff to identify and even prevent sexual harassment from occurring. A policy should always be in place and all employees should be responsible for following these guidelines.
Working with Thunderbird Law Group
The legal team at Thunderbird Law Group understands how stressful a sexual harassment claim can be. At Thunderbird Law Group, we specialize in employment law and can help you deal with working in a hostile environment. We can provide the advice you need to fully understand your rights as well as evaluate the case and aggressively fight for you.
English 
Spanish