Estela Díaz Quoted in Univision Report on Sexual Harassment
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Akin Gump litigation partner Estela Díaz has been quoted by Univision for its feature story “¿Qúe es el acoso sexual para la gente de a pie? (What is sexual harassment for the person on the street?).” The video report discusses recent headline cases and solicits definitions of “harassment” from the public.
Díaz, whose practice includes conducting investigations of allegations of sexual harassment and other discrimination allegations in the workplace, said, “One form of sexual harassment is ‘quid pro quo,’ when a person in authority abuses that power by asking for sexual favors or sexual relations with an employee. But sexual harassment also exists in the form of a hostile work environment.”
In the context of whether certain workplaces are more tolerant of flirtatious remarks, she added, “Particularly in the current environment, the law is the law, and employers need to be careful because an individual can be offended [by conduct] even though it may otherwise be accepted behavior in their workplace.”