Can you sue for verbal abuse

If your attorney can prove that the verbal abuse at work is a form of discrimination or harassment, you may be able to hold your employer accountable and recover damages. Keep a journal to document every time you were verbally abused. Include the times and dates, the names of the persons who abused you, witnesses, the negative statements that were made about you, and other relevant details.

In addition, keep records of any treatments, medications e. If the verbal abuse or harassment persists, even after complaining to the HR department, contact a lawyer immediately.

You may have grounds to sue your employer for failure to take reasonable measures to stop the abuse in the workplace. First, the abuse must be so severe that it affected that person's employment, and getting yelled at frequently can undoubtedly do that. But verbal abuse must also discriminate against one of the federal protected classes listed above or under state law. If one or more workers have complained about the abuse and nothing was done, it might help their case.

For example, an employer's actions that single out only Latino women for verbal abuse may constitute harassment that could be grounds for a lawsuit. However, if that same boss yells at everyone in the office, there is no discrimination.

That boss may be unpleasant to work for, but unless an employee shows how their employer discriminated against a protected class, they won't have much of a lawsuit. When identifying verbal abuse, the perpetrator's position, such as manager or supervisor, factors into consideration when attempting to protect a company from a lawsuit. For example, a demanding employer who shouts when a worker doesn't meet deadlines differs from someone shouting racial slurs.

To avoid potentials lawsuits, employers should conduct training of all staff, particularly those in human resources, to fully identify abusive behavior. When verbal abuse, workplace bullying or any kind of harassment occurs, reporting instances of this behavior is essential, as the employer may not know of the problem or may need more evidence to take appropriate measures.

The California Fair Employment and Housing Act or FEHA prohibits employment discrimination based on race or color; religion; national origin or ancestry, physical disability; mental disability or medical condition; marital status; sex or sexual orientation; age, with respect to persons over the age of 40; and pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. If you are facing verbal abuse in the workplace, there are a few simple steps we recommend you take immediately:.

Those little things that happen or are said often grow into a pattern of abuse. It therefore is smart to keep a record of everything that happens. Go into detail, including listing times and dates, what was going on, coworkers who may have witnessed the verbal abuse, and anything else you can think of. You should also of course record any illness, sick days used, doctor visits or treatments related to the incidents of verbal abuse.

All of that information may become useful later on. There are no verbal abuse in the workplace laws, but there are discrimmination laws. Familiarizing yourself with these laws can help you determine whether what you are facing at work is actually illegal. If your company has a human resources department, you may want to consider bringing this issue to them.

Companies want to protect themselves from lawsuits and will likely take action to make sure they are not held liable for anything. If you have faced verbal abuse at work, talking to an attorney can be helpful. They can advise you on your case and give you a recommended course of action. The discrimmination lawyers at Rastegar Law Group have lots of experience when it comes to dealing with verbal abuse in the workplace.

Emotional abuse is a common type of abuse in romantic relationships; a partner who chooses to end a relationship may be especially vulnerable to emotional abuse. Verbal abuse is when a person uses strong language to criticize, insult, bully or cut-down another person through a verbal attack.

With simmering anger and hostility, the attacker uses this damaging type of communication as a way to hurt the self-concept of the other person and produce negative emotions. While anyone has the capacity to be verbally abusive at times of extreme stress or pain, for some it is a pattern of behavior used with the intention of controlling or manipulating another person or as a form of revenge. Victims are at risk of developing depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and stress-related illnesses.