Los Angeles Sexual Assault Lawyer Blog

The former head of Hewlett Packard, based in Palo Alto, recently lost a court ruling in which he was forced to make public a letter that detailed allegations of sexual harassment in Los Angeles against him, Financial Times reports.

Our Los Angeles Sexual Assault Lawyers know this type of behavior happens in many corporate settings, where bosses are paid six-figure salaries and are given carte blanche to run a company. These executives sometimes take this power to believe they can sexually harass co-workers and subordinates.

Sexual harassment in Los Angeles is largely about power and trying to influence others' decisions. It may also be about sexual gratification in cases where sexual favors are requested or late-night rendezvous are arranged. In either scenario, it is unlawful and should be stopped.

In this case, according to the Financial Times, the former HP head, now president of Oracle, was trying to keep his relationship with a marketing consultant private. She accused him of inappropriate behavior and was attempting to make a letter about the situation public.

The eight-page letter was written by an attorney for the woman in 2010. A copy obtained by the newspaper claims that the man repeatedly tried to get the woman to engage in a romantic relationship during a two-year period while she consulted with HP. The letter states that from 2007 to 2009, on trips throughout the country and even overseas, the man would try to get her to go to dinner or stop by her hotel.

While the letter alleges sexual harassment conduct, an internal investigation found no substance to those allegations, the newspaper reports. The board did, however, look at the possibility that he was mishandling expense reports. He resigned from the company in 2010 with a severance package worth up to $40 million.

Sexual harassment can be as simple as attempting a relationship with a co-worker, or in some type of business setting, against the person's will. Even making sexually-themed jokes or sending sexually explicit e-mails can constitute sexual harassment and lead to a lawsuit.

These types of situations can spur hard feelings and an unease at work. Making co-workers or subordinates uncomfortable or asking that they perform sexual favors in order to get promoted or hired are violations of California and federal law in this area.

Most companies and businesses have policies set in place to avoid sexual harassment from happening. Still, though, this sort of thing does happen, especially in a corporate setting. The only way for this type of behavior to stop is if an employee who is violated puts an end to it. Allowing the behavior to continue in one case is going to lead to an environment where sexual harassment is not only allowed, but expected. That creates a cycle that is tough to break.