Cuomo Signed Bill Lowering Bar to Prove Sexual Harassment

Cuomo – New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill two years ago that substantially lowered the bar for proving sexual harassment claims, making it easier now for his accusers to meet the required standards, The Washington Free Beacon reported on Wednesday.

The bill Cuomo signed into law states that harassment does not need to be “severe or pervasive” to be unlawful, specifying that any action that rises above “petty slights and trivial inconveniences” can qualify.

The governor’s alleged misconduct appears to exceed this standard.

A New York employment lawyer explained to the Free Beacon, for example, that if a male supervisor makes a female worker uncomfortable by asking her out to lunch, “that could be the basis for a claim.”

The bill Cuomo signed also got rid of the main defense that could have been used in court. Under federal law, an employer can avoid liability if their worker never filed a formal complaint concerning the harassment, which neither of Cuomo’s accusers did.

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But under the law Cuomo signed, the absence of formal complaints “shall not be determinative” of liability, meaning a worker can win even if she did not make use of an internal grievance procedure.

At the time he signed the law, Cuomo said that “The ongoing culture of sexual harassment in the workplace is unacceptable and has held employees back for far too long. This critical measure finally ends the absurd legal standard for victims to prove sexual harassment in the workplace and makes it easier for those who have been subjected to this disgusting behaviour to bring claims forward.

Source – https://www.newsmax.com/