A doctor who runs an Oklahoma City abortion clinic, as well as owns several area motels, has been accused of sexual harassment. These are not the first accusations leveled against the doctor, who has been in court before facing both civil suits and criminal charges. However, it does not appear that he has been convicted of a crime.
The latest allegations come from a former employee, who claims that the doctor began asking her for sexual favors after she began working as a receptionist at one of his motels. The 26-year-old woman says that she also worked in his medical clinic and was given the most distasteful tasks at that location because she had refused the doctor's advances. She alleges that the doctor offered her $100,000 if she would leave the country and marry someone she described as "an Arab prince." A previous lawsuit had accused the doctor of very similar behavior, but that case, which had been brought by a 36-year-old female former employee, was settled out of court. The doctor was also accused of sexual harassment in 1989, but that case was dismissed. He has denied all the allegations and says he has always acted appropriately.
If the allegations in the above case are true, it may be a fairly clear-cut case of sexual harassment. Not all harassment is so obvious, however. One does not have to be explicitly propositioned in order to be a victim of sexual harassment. If a hostile working environment exists, whether created by an employer, a supervisor, a co-worker or even clients or customers, the victim may have a legitimate claim for sexual harassment. It is also illegal for an employer to engage in sex discrimination, such as giving certain tasks only to female workers or allowing male workers in the same job extra privileges. Furthermore, the gender of the harasser doesn't matter, as long as the activity meets the legal definition. Anyone who believes that he or she has been sexually harassed may want to consider speaking with an experienced Oklahoma employment law attorney.
Source: The Oklahoman, "Oklahoma City abortion doctor accused again of sexual harassing employees," Nolan Clay, Dec. 14, 2014
