Vident Partners provides vetted sexual harassment expert witnesses for cases involving hostile work environment claims, quid pro quo harassment, employer liability for supervisor and co-worker conduct, Title VII and state law compliance, and organizational culture analysis in employment litigation. Request a referral today.
Find a Sexual Harassment Expert →Overview
Sexual harassment experts evaluate workplace conduct, employer policies, and organizational responses in cases alleging hostile work environment or quid pro quo sexual harassment under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, state anti-discrimination statutes, and Title IX in educational settings. These experts help courts and juries understand whether the conduct at issue meets the legal standard for harassment, whether the employer's response was adequate, and whether organizational culture contributed to the alleged harassment. Hostile work environment claims require proof that the harassment was severe or pervasive enough to alter the conditions of employment, evaluated from both a subjective and objective perspective under the standard established in Harris v. Forklift Systems (1993). Experts analyze the totality of circumstances including the frequency and severity of the conduct, whether it was physically threatening or humiliating, whether it unreasonably interfered with work performance, and whether the employer's anti-harassment policies and training were adequate under the Faragher-Ellerth affirmative defense framework. These experts typically have backgrounds in human resources management, organizational psychology, or employment law compliance, and they evaluate the employer's anti-harassment policies, complaint procedures, investigation protocols, and corrective actions against industry best practices and EEOC guidelines. They assess whether the employer exercised reasonable care to prevent and promptly correct harassment, and whether the complainant unreasonably failed to take advantage of available preventive or corrective opportunities. The post-#MeToo legal landscape has significantly expanded harassment liability, with many states enacting legislation that lowers the legal threshold for harassment claims (eliminating the severe or pervasive standard), extends statute of limitations periods, limits the use of nondisclosure agreements, and expands protection to independent contractors and other non-employees.
Case Types
Hostile work environment sexual harassment under Title VII
Quid pro quo harassment and supervisor liability
Employer failure to prevent and correct workplace harassment
Title IX sexual harassment in educational institutions
Organizational culture assessment and systemic harassment claims
Qualifications
Related Specialties
FAQ
A sexual harassment expert should hold a Ph.D. in organizational or industrial-organizational psychology, or have extensive senior HR experience with SHRM-SCP or SPHR certification. Knowledge of Title VII, EEOC guidance, the Faragher-Ellerth defense framework, and current state harassment statutes is essential. Experience conducting workplace harassment investigations is strongly preferred.
Sexual harassment experts are needed in hostile work environment claims, quid pro quo harassment cases, employer liability disputes under the Faragher-Ellerth framework, Title IX sexual harassment cases in schools and universities, class action harassment claims involving systemic culture issues, and any case where the adequacy of employer policies and investigation is at issue.
Sexual harassment expert fees typically range from $300 to $600 per hour for case review and analysis. Organizational culture assessments in class action cases may cost $50,000 to $150,000. Individual case review with policy analysis and written report typically costs $10,000 to $25,000.
Related Insights
This subject was brought to my attention by a recent Washington Post article, It begins, as articles like this often do, by focusing on one person: Zacchery Belval, a designer from Connecticut who...
Case AnalysisThe Affordable Care Act (ACA) establishes a cause of action for healthcare discrimination: “[A]n individual shall not, on the ground prohibited under [four existing federal nondiscrimination...
Case AnalysisThis could be the first of many cases in which employees object to their employer’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement – we’ll have to wait and see. In Bridges v. Houston Methodist Hospital (S.D....
Vident Partners connects attorneys with qualified sexual harassment expert witnesses. Complimentary search, 24-hour turnaround, no obligation.
Request an Expert →