Legal Question in Sexual Harassment in West Virginia

Re: What constitutes sexual harrassment in the workplace?

Tell me the details. What exactly has been said to her? By whom, by how many people, in person or on walls, in what order, etc. Use direct quotes of what your daughter told you and indicate which of those are direct quotes versus her explanation of the kinds of things being said. By whom was each said? How many such comments were there, over what period of time, and by how many people? Are they ALL sexual or are some just plain rude but non-sexual?

What kind of workplace is it? What is her job? How old is she? How long has she been there? Is she as offended as you? Has her direct boss or a superior of her boss or any management level person been involved? Is anyone at a level above her aware of what's being or has been said to her? If so, what actions have they taken to correct the situation, if any? Does the company publish any sort of policy on the subject? Do they claim to have a procedure for dealing with complaints (or doesn't she know because she hasn't registered a complaint? If she hasn't, and she is offended, why hasn't she ... is she afraid of something? What?)

Does your daughter think or suspect something about her warrants all this? What? When she told you, what was she expecting of you? Advice? Consolation? Just an ear?

How many employees are there at the firm? Do they do any government subcontracting? Are they for-profit or non-profit?

I'm [email protected] so you can write to me directly. After you do, and separately, ask her to answer the same list of questions in her own words privately, that is, without you looking over her shoulder.

When all is said and done, you'll have a complete story written up, I'll be able to express an opinion on it, and you two will be able to take action if you decide that it's a good idea to do so.