Sexual Harassment Stories and Experiences

Tulipgirl, California

     I was sexually harassed by our company president over a period of 2 years while working for a small Chinese owned company in California. He would come up behind me in my cubical and start massaging my neck, playing my hair, even ear lobes, put his hand on my lap, purposely brushed against me, sexual comments and even told me his sexual activities with his wife (which I repeatedly told him to stop) and etc…. I did tell him that I do not like to be touched and he keeps doing it…

     I finally couldn’t take it anymore when he asked me to help him to do illegal favors for his company(importing counterfeit electronics). This company has done many illegal things like manufacturing counterfeit electronics, importing  and distribute counterfeits in the US, tax evasion and etc..

     Last year, I left the company and accepted another offer in another city hoping to build a new life and career and move on with my life. I took several weeks off before starting my new job, while taking my break my new employer told me my former employer called him and threatened to sue if he hires me.

     I was shocked and upset at the same time, since I left in peace and didn’t file a lawsuit against him and now he is trying to take control of my life again!? He had violated my rights as a young woman and caused me so much stress and pain throughout my 2 years employment and yet he’s trying to make sure I do not get employed in the same industry?

     Being jobless and lost, I start researching on sexual harassment on the net and found a small time lawyer who decided to take my case on contingency basis. So my lawyer made attempt to mediate with my former employer, his wife quickly call my lawyer up and told him he will try to settle out of court.

    My ex-employer dragged everything out for another 3 months, then came back with his top-notch lawyer who refused to negotiate.  They made false allegations about me such as saying I gave out their customers information that ended up causing then more than half a million dollars in losses (doesn’t make sense, I hadn’t even started working there yet). And they threatened that if I file a suit on him, he will counter sue me for more than half million dollar of losses. The ridiculous thing is, if I am as guilty as he claimed, why would he still offer me a small sum of money to shut my mouth.

     When they threat to counter sue me, my lawyer backed out and told me he won’t be able to handle the case as it is getting more complicated.

     Refusing to give up and give in, I know I need to fight back not because of money, but to stand up for myself, even if I am without my family and all alone in a foreign land. After several months of persistent attempts to get a good lawyer who would take my case, I’ve decided to proceed with the lawsuit against him recently.

     However, I am very stressed out and I need support mentally to help me cope with the whole process. I couldn’t help thinking of all the possibility of loosing the case and being counter-sued or asked to pay the lawsuit or my former employer for damages and etc?? Will they take away all my saving and my car and force me into bankruptcy?

     I have just found a job with a bigger company in different industry, but I am still afraid if they would call my former company up for reference. He will surely bad mouth and make false allegations about me. Being out of job for a year, I couldn’t take another blow in my career.

    I am in constant struggle with myself, debating on my own decision to proceed with the lawsuit. I know I could have just walked away and try to move on……(not as easy as I thought) as I get older I realize such horrifying experience will scared me for life and I am not going to let him go so easily this time….

     No one seems to understand what I am facing and under going. I am suffering mentally everyday and starting to feel the stress is eating me up physically. I really want to know how others survive such ordeals and come out of it sane.  I need help…

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 2nd, 2006 at 2:02 pm and is filed under Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, Retaliation, Backlash, and Victim-blaming, Formal Investigations and Litigation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.