Holding Employers Accountable for Sexual Harassment: Chopourian v. Catholic Healthcare West

My good friend, Lawrance Bohm, got the largest sexual harassment verdict in history for his client, Ms. Chopourian. The case demonstrates that sexual harassment still occurs quite often across California, especially with highly successful individuals like doctors. Sexual harassment is one of the more disturbing forms of gender discrimination. Not only can it financially hurt someone in their profession, but can also severely hurt an individual emotionally.

Sexual harassment most commonly takes the form of hostile work environment. Hostile work environment can take the form of verbal and physical conduct, whether sexual or nonsexual in nature. In hostile work environment cases, an employee must show that he or she was subjected to unwelcome sexual advances conduct or comments, and harassment was so severe as to alter the conditions of the victim’s employment and create an abusive working environment. Further, the employee must also show the employer knew or should have known of the sexual harassment. Usually, the harassed employee is terminated for poor performance or for a reason out of nowhere or arbitrary.

In Chopourian v. Catholic Healthcare West, plaintiff, a surgery physician assistant, was terminated for not showing up to an on call shift, but plaintiff filed suit. She claimed she was terminated after filing over a dozen written complaints over the course of two years regarding sexual harassment in the workplace. During her employment, plaintiff was subjected to consistent unwanted sexual advances and physical contact, as well as inappropriate and demeaning sexual comments such as surgeons telling her they are horny. The jury was not convinced by the employer’s reasons for termination and awarded plaintiff a verdict of $167,730,488.00.

At the end of the day, this case is good news for employees in California. A verdict this large is a testament that employers will be still be held accountable for the wrongs they commit in the workplace. If you believe you have been a victim of a hostile work environment, contact an employment lawyer immediately.

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