| The first thing you should do is call the (if you are in Massachusetts)
MA Commission Against Discrimination. If you are in the Worcester
area, their number is 752-2272. If you are not in the Worcester area,
you should be able to find your local office on ~page 5 of the white
pages in your telephone directory, under DISCRIMINATION.
I believe NH has a similar office.
They are the people with whom a complaint gets filed.
Hope this helps,
E Grace
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| Before you do anything else you need to follow the process that the
company has for handling harrassment complaints. Once you've done
this -- if you have not had satisfaction -- you need to file a
complaint with the state agency (in Mass it's MA Commission Against
Discrimination) and have them reach a decision. If they don't support
the complaint then you are free to sue. If they do support the claim,
they will assist you with pursuing a remedy and, as i recall, you can
also sue. (There's also a federal agency which I don't believe that you
have to file with as long as you file with the state. But, verify that
with the state people.) Note - in most states you are barred from suit
if you do not go through the complaint process with the stateor federal
agency.
You should go to your atty armed with as many facts as possible.
Names, places, dates, details etc. You should keep careful record of
whta you did to bring the behavior to the company's attention and the
actions they did and didn't take. If you haven't given the co. an
opportunity to "cure" the problem, you should have supportable reasons
why. Again, I stress that the more FACTS and details you an provide
your attorney and the state people, the better off you are.
Do you need to get the atty before going to the agency. No. But, it
might not hurt to get a consultation so that you are able to file a
complaint which is as sound and strong as possible.
Somewhere I have the card of a woman attorney who used to run the
Worcester office of MCAD. She's located in Southborough, MA. If you
want her name & number, let me know.
Polly
P.S. MCAD doesn't have the greatest rep for supporting victims of
harrassment but it's a hurdle you have to get through.
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| Please correct me if I'm wrong, but... I believe that if you file a
complaint with the MCAD and down the road you decide to "drop" the
case, they DO NOT drop it. Does anyone know if this is true?
In any case, good luck to you in whatever you decide to do.
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