Legal Question in Sexual Harassment in Massachusetts
car dealer harassed me??
I wanted to know if I had a sexual harassment claim. I was getting my car fixed and we were chatting (my husband and I bought our car from him about a year earlier) and I had asked about some tires that he wanted to sell. Anyway, when I was getting ready to leave, he came up to me and said, ''I wanted to know if I could have sex with you... I'll even throw in the snow tires.'' I was shocked and it still bothers me. This happened 6 months ago. I never went back there again. What should I do?
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: car dealer harassed me??
Yes this is harassment. YOu have 300 days to bring a complaint to ghe MCAD (MAss Com Against Discrimination) or the EEOC.
Re: car dealer harassed me??
Do nothing else.
You've already done what is necessary.
You have withdrawn your business.
You have no proof. All you have is a "she said,
he said" case. You will waste your time and
money and emotions.
Remember that not only are there all kinds of
people in the world, each and every one of those people is still an "animal."
Animals respond to mating signals. Did you send him any signals?
Did you send him flirtatious signals?
If you feel you were appropriately dressed --
that is, not wearing one of those belly-button
exposing shirts or jeans -- and did not wiggle
or flash your beautiful eyes at him, then you might upon considerable introspection speak to his boss.
But remember, in the good old days, flirtation was an art. Marya Mannes wrote a wonderful essay entitled "The Art of Flirtation." You might want to read it.
You will also enjoy life more thinking,
"Isn't this great? I'm so appealing," and
walk away feeling flattered . . . even
though this guy was, to say the least, grossly
unappealing, grossly unattractive, and doltish. And some women might have even been delighted with the offer by him.
Be happy. Be less hyper-sensitive. And remember you are probably otherwise a great woman.
Go home and remind your husband how luck he is to have you.
Grandma