New Jersey Lawyers BlogNew Jersey Employment Law Decision Protects Employees from Sexual Harassment, Even Where Harassment is by Employee of Another, Related Employer
A recent New Jersey employment law decision found that even where harassment is not by a co-employee, her employer may still be liable if the victim worked closely with the harasser in her workplace.
Background
Kristine Bodner was a certified alcohol and drug counselor employed by the Center for Family Services (the “Center”), a private nonprofit social services provider. The Center is a “provider agency” for the New Jersey Department of Child Protection and Permanency (the “Department”). She was assigned to work at the Burlington office of the Department, a department of New Jersey state
government. She worked closely with the Department’s supervisors. Clients were sent by Department to the Center. The Center would assign clients to Bodner. She assessed clients to see if they had substance abuse issues and if so to recommend the appropriate level of care, and report them to the case workers. She would conference cases with Department case workers.