Most Florida employers know how to joke with their employees in an appropriate manner that makes them smile and does not cause them discomfort. An out-of-state woman who worked at a dental office alleges that she was forced to leave her job after about two years because her boss victimized her. She has filed a sexual harassment case in a Superior Court in the hopes that she will soon be able to find work again and seek justice for his actions.
The part-time hygienist claims that her boss sent her lewd text messages and showed her his genitals. She alleges that he also spoke to her in an inappropriate manner. According to her lawsuit, she was offended by his actions and quit her job, but her former boss convinced her to return when he offered her full-time work.
After she went back to work in the pediatric dental office, the harassment apparently started again. Her boss had cameras in the patient rooms, which he allegedly abused as a way to ogle her while she worked, and he tried to get her to expose her chest. While her boss was in Aruba, he began sending her texts that showed his genitals, which she purportedly ignored.
The other employees had allegedly all received bonuses at the end of the year, but the plaintiff did not. When she questioned why she did not receive a bonus, she asserts he sent more inappropriate texts and told her if she wanted one, she could get it in person from him when he was naked. The defendant purportedly said that he was only joking with her, but that was not at all how she interpreted his actions.
The plaintiff could no longer tolerate the alleged sexual harassment and quit, but now is having a hard time getting a new job in the field. She claims that her former boss was very high profile, as he has worked on some of the cast of the show, Mob Wives. She asserts that his influence is negatively impacting her from receiving new employment opportunities in the dental field. Florida employees who are in a hostile work environment do not have to tolerate the situation. If, after asking for the harassment to stop, the workers do not find a resolution, they can exercise their legal rights to file claims against their employers.
Source: silive.com, "Suit: Rossville woman accuses prominent S.I. dentist of sexual harassment", Mira Wassef, Jan. 12, 2016