Sexual Harassment Case: Thoreson V. Guccione

There have been many cases of sexual harassment and retaliation cases throughout the history of the United States. It seems that there was an increase in these type of cases/allegations during the 1990’s that continue to this day. The average profile of victims started to change and more laws were created to set new precedents as well as to protect individuals. Since this increase in harassment and retaliation, people from all backgrounds have found themselves involved in sexual harassment and retaliation cases. It is important for human resource managers and companies to be aware of sexual harassment laws and the precedents when dealing with this topic in the workplace. It is important for the company to treat every complaint with respect and confidentiality, and to hear all sides of the story during the investigation before making any final conclusions (Russell,2009). This is something that can cost the company a lot in lawsuit and litigation fees, as well as be damaging to the reputation of the organization. The first case I ever heard of in regards to sexual harassment that I remembered was the case of Anita Hill v. Clarence Thomas. This occurred in 1991, when I was about 12 years old, but I recall the case being in the news and being talked about. In 1991, Ms. Hill submitted a confidential statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee with allegations that Thomas had sexually harassed her 10 years earlier. At this time the FBI had already investigated the charges and gave the committee an inconclusive report. The committee had decided not to pursue the matter further. Two days before the Senate was expected to confirm Thomas was joining the Senate, Hill’s statement was leaked to the press. This put Ms. Hill under pressure from different women’s groups as well as Democrats in Congress, and led to Ms. Hill being summoned to appear before the Judiciary Committee to testify on live television about the harassment allegations. Ms. Hill made allegations that Mr. Thomas made …show more content…
Penthouse Magazine and Robert Guccione. This case stands out because it is referred to as a landmark case and has been cited repeatedly in numerous cases. In Thoreson v. Guccione and Penthouse Magazine, the finding of sexual harassment was sustained on appeal, which set a significant precedent by supporting the position that a victim of sexual harassment can establish the claim based on the victim's testimony alone. In 1991, the City of New York enacted a Human Rights Law authorizing a private cause of judicial action for victims of employment discrimination. In this case, Ms. Thoreson, a former model for Penthouse magazine was awarded more than $4 million in punitive damages in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, New York for sexual harassment that was inflicted on her by, Robert Guccione, a former lover as well as the magazine’s …show more content…
The judge based his award on a finding that Mr. Guccione had compelled Ms. Thoreson to have sexual relations with two of his business associates. Ms. Thoreson, also testified that Mr. Guccione had ordered her to carry on an affair with his financial adviser so he would move to the United States from England. She said she broke off the relationship because it appeared that the adviser, Gerald Kreditor, was going to leave his wife and four children. The judge in this case made a ruling that this was sexual slavery and was not part of her job description (Sullivan,