Law Commons^™

Not On The Menu, Kathryn Casteel, Zameena Mejia

Capstones

The element of “unwelcomeness” and the burden of proof on the plaintiff to prove sexual conduct in the workplace is one of the flaws of Title VII that make it difficult to protect victims of sexual harassment. This is particularly true in restaurants where a sexual environment is often thought of as “part of the job.” Formal complaint systems, if available, in restaurants are often flawed, even though they can pose as an affirmative defense for the defendant if they are available and a victim does not file a complaint. In the cases examined, all involved an accused supervisor or …

Judicial Innovation And Sexual Harassment Doctrine In The U.S. Court Of Appeals., Laura P. Moyer, Holley Takersley

Laura Moyer

The determination that sexual harassment constituted “discrimination based on sex” under Title VII was first made by the lower federal courts, not Congress. Drawing from the literature on policy diffusion, this article examines the adoption of hostile work environment standards across the U.S. Courts of Appeals in the absence of controlling Supreme Court precedent. The results bolster recent findings about the influence of female judges on their male colleagues and suggest that in addition to siding with female plaintiffs, female judges also helped to shape legal rules that promoted gender equality in the workplace.

Tolerance Of Sexual Harassment: A Laboratory Paradigm, David J. Angelone, Damon Mitchell, Kara Carola

D.J. Angelone

The present study attempted to develop a laboratory analogue for the study of tolerance for sexual harassment by using an online speed-dating paradigm. In that context, the relation between participants’ sexual harassment attitudes, perpetrator attractiveness, perpetrator status, and perceived dating potential of the perpetrator were examined as factors influencing participants’ tolerance of sexually harassing behavior. Participants were 128 female college students from a small northeastern public university. Results indicated that attractiveness, high social status, and attitudinal beliefs about sexual harassment were all predictive of tolerance for sexual harassment, providing preliminary support for the validity of this paradigm. In addition, participants’ …

Campus Sexual Misconduct As Sexual Harassment: A Defense Of The Doe, Katharine Baker

All Faculty Scholarship

This article explains and defends the Department of Education’s campaign against sexual misconduct on college campuses. It does so because DOE has inexplicably failed to make clear that their goal is to protect women from the intimidating and hostile environment that results when men routinely use women sexually, without regard to whether women consent to the sexual activity. That basic point, that schools are policing harassing and intimidating behavior, not necessarily rape, has been lost on both courts and commentators. Boorish, entitled, sexual behavior that stops well short of rape, if pervasive enough, has been actionable as sexual harassment for …

Campus Sexual Misconduct As Sexual Harassment: A Defense Of The Doe, Katharine K. Baker

Katharine K. Baker

Not Yet Enough: Why New York's Sexual Assault Law Does Not Provide Enough Protection To Complainants Or Defendants, Nicolo Taormina

Journal of Law and Policy

Title IX requires colleges to investigate and adjudicate allegations of sexual assault between students. New York State has recently passed a new law called “Enough is Enough,” which strengthens Title IX’s requirements. However, neither Title IX nor “Enough is Enough” provides strict guidelines for the procedures colleges must use when adjudicating complaints. This means that colleges across New York employ different procedures and offer different sets of rights to their students. After examining federal and state law, some examples of college procedures and the effects they have on students, this Note concludes that “Enough is Enough” must be amended to …