New York City Sexual Harassment Lawyer

If someone at work has made sexual demands, subjected you to unwanted touching, filled your days with comments about your body, or created an environment so sexualized that doing your job became impossible, New York law provides powerful remedies. What happened wasn’t acceptable. It wasn’t just “workplace culture.” And you don’t have to tolerate it.

Our New York City sexual harassment lawyer at The Bloom Firm has spent years representing employees who experienced exactly what you’re going through. We handle quid pro quo cases, hostile work environment claims, and retaliation matters. We take cases on contingency, meaning you owe nothing unless we recover money for you. Contact us for a free consultation.

Why Choose The Bloom Firm for Sexual Harassment Cases in New York City?

We’ve Been Doing This Work for a Long Time

Sexual harassment cases require more than knowing the law. They require understanding power dynamics, recognizing how harassers operate, and knowing how employers try to minimize or cover up misconduct. We’ve seen all of it: the supervisor who frames demands as mentorship, the HR department that protects the harasser instead of the victim, the company that retaliates against anyone who complains.

The Bloom Firm has represented models harassed by photographers, actors targeted by producers, office workers propositioned by executives, and restaurant servers groped by managers. The industries differ. The power imbalances don’t. Neither does our approach: believe our clients, build the evidence, and fight until they get justice.

Lisa Bloom founded the firm with this work at its core. She’s represented clients in sexual harassment matters against some of the most recognizable names in entertainment and business. Her career has included filing lawsuits against Bill Cosby, advocating for Jeffrey Epstein victims, and taking on high-profile cases that made national headlines. She graduated from Yale Law School in 1986, has been named a Super Lawyer every year since 2015, and appears regularly on CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC discussing harassment and victims’ rights.

Arick Fudali serves as Partner and Managing Attorney with licenses in New York, California, and Florida. Before civil rights work, he prosecuted criminal cases in Broward County, Florida. That experience taught him how to investigate facts, build narratives from evidence, and present cases persuasively. He graduated from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and has represented harassment victims since 2011. He appears frequently on CNN, Court TV, and News Nation.

Results for Harassment Victims

Our employment lawyer in New York City has recovered millions of dollars for clients in sexual harassment cases. Multi-million dollar jury verdicts against wealthy defendants. Settlements from corporations that initially refused to acknowledge wrongdoing. When we take your case, we fight to win, not to settle quickly for less than you deserve.

The Fee Structure

You pay nothing unless we win. No retainer. No hourly billing. No costs while your case proceeds. We advance litigation expenses and collect fees only from recovery. Financial barriers should never prevent a harassment victim from pursuing justice.

What Clients Say

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“I was terrified to come forward, but Lisa and her team made me feel believed from our first conversation. They handled everything with professionalism and compassion, and they got me a result I never thought possible. I’m grateful every day that I found them.” — Regina Simons, Client

Read more reviews on our Google Business Profile.

Types of Sexual Harassment Cases We Handle in New York City

Sexual harassment under New York law covers a range of conduct, and the standards here are more favorable to employees than federal law.

Quid pro quo harassment. Your supervisor made clear that job benefits, whether promotions, assignments, continued employment, or favorable treatment, depended on providing sexual favors. The demand itself is illegal regardless of whether you complied. These cases often involve a stark power imbalance that makes victims feel they have no choice but to submit or lose everything they’ve worked for.
Hostile work environment. The comments, the jokes, the way certain people look at you, the touching that happens in hallways and elevators, the explicit images shared in group chats. None of it involves direct demands, but all of it makes work unbearable. Under New York City law, you don’t need to prove conduct was “severe or pervasive” like federal law requires. You need to show you were subjected to inferior conditions because of your sex.
Third-party harassment. The harasser isn’t your coworker or supervisor. They’re a client, customer, vendor, or contractor. But your employer knew about their behavior and failed to protect you. Employers who tolerate harassment by outsiders face the same liability as if their own employees committed the misconduct.
Online and digital harassment. Inappropriate texts after hours. Sexual images sent to your phone. Explicit comments in work messaging apps. Harassment doesn’t stop being harassment because it happens through technology. These communications often provide the clearest evidence because they’re timestamped and difficult to deny.
Harassment across gender lines. Sexual harassment affects people of all genders. Men harassed by women. Same-sex harassment. Harassment targeting employees who don’t conform to gender expectations. New York law protects everyone, and we represent clients regardless of gender.
Retaliation. You reported harassment through proper channels. Instead of addressing the problem, your employer addressed you. Hours cut. Reviews turned negative. Relationships with supervisors became hostile. Termination followed shortly after your complaint. Punishing employees for reporting harassment violates the law and creates a separate claim that often produces substantial damages.
Sexual discrimination. Many harassment victims also face discrimination: lower pay, fewer opportunities, harsher treatment based on sex or gender. These claims can proceed together, and pursuing both often increases recovery.

New York Legal Protections Against Sexual Harassment

New York provides layered protections that exceed federal law in important ways.

New York’s Framework

The New York City Human Rights Law provides some of the strongest sexual harassment protections in the country. It covers employers with four or more employees and requires courts to interpret its provisions liberally in favor of plaintiffs.

The harassment standard matters enormously. Federal law requires conduct to be “severe or pervasive” to create a hostile work environment. New York City rejected that standard. Under city law, you need only show you were subjected to inferior terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of your gender. This broader standard means conduct that might not support a federal claim can still support a city law claim.

The NYC Commission on Human Rights enforces these protections and investigates complaints. You can file directly with the Commission or proceed to court.

The New York State Division of Human Rights enforces state protections that similarly cover employers with four or more employees. The 2019 amendments to state law eliminated the “severe or pervasive” standard for state claims as well, aligning state law more closely with the city’s protective approach.

Federal Protections

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits sexual harassment by employers with fifteen or more employees. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforces Title VII. Federal claims still require proving “severe or pervasive” conduct, which is why many plaintiffs find New York law more favorable.

The Department of Labor provides additional resources on workplace protections that may apply to your situation.

Filing Deadlines

Three years for claims under New York City and State law. Federal claims require filing with the EEOC within 300 days. These deadlines are unforgiving. Miss them and your claim may be permanently lost regardless of what happened to you.

Important Aspects of a New York City Sexual Harassment Case

Sexual harassment cases require evidence, documentation, and understanding of how these claims develop. Several factors consistently affect outcomes.

Acting Quickly

Evidence disappears. Memories fade. Witnesses leave companies. Harassers delete messages. The sooner you consult an attorney, the better positioned you’ll be to preserve what matters. Many victims don’t realize what steps they need to take immediately to protect their claims.

Documentation

Write down what happened while details are fresh. Dates, times, locations, exactly what was said or done, who witnessed it. Save every text, email, voicemail, and direct message. Screenshot communications before they can be deleted. Keep copies of performance reviews showing your track record before harassment began. This evidence forms the foundation of your case.

Avoiding Common Mistakes

Harassment victims often undermine their own cases without realizing it. Delaying too long. Failing to report through proper channels. Not preserving evidence. Discussing the case publicly in ways that create problems later. Understanding what mistakes to avoid protects your ability to pursue the strongest possible claim.

Internal Reporting

Most employers have harassment reporting procedures. Following them creates documentation that you notified the company and gave them a chance to respond. Report in writing when possible. Keep copies of everything. Document how management responds, whether they investigate, and whether anything changes. If your employer ignores complaints or retaliates, that failure becomes part of your case.

Employer Response

Did your employer investigate promptly? Did they take corrective action? Did the harassment stop? Employers who respond appropriately may limit their liability. Employers who dismiss concerns, protect harassers, or conduct sham investigations face significant exposure. How they handled your complaint often determines the strength of your claim.

What You Can Recover

Successful sexual harassment claims can produce back pay, front pay, compensatory damages for emotional distress, and punitive damages in egregious cases. New York law allows recovery of attorney’s fees from defendants, creating additional settlement pressure. What you recover depends on the severity and duration of harassment, its impact on your career and wellbeing, and the strength of evidence. Claims involving wrongful termination or employment discrimination may support additional recovery.

Contact The Bloom Firm

Sexual harassment leaves victims feeling powerless, isolated, and uncertain whether anyone will believe them. We believe you. And New York law provides real remedies when employers allow harassment to occur.

We provide free consultations to evaluate your situation. Our contingency fee structure means you pay nothing unless we win money for you. There’s no financial risk in finding out whether you have a case.

What happened to you was wrong. Your employer had an obligation to prevent it and to stop it when it occurred. If they failed, they should face consequences. Contact The Bloom Firm today. We’re ready to fight for you.

Types of Sexual Harassment Cases We Handle

Workplace harassment can take many forms, and it is not always obvious at first. Over time, repeated behavior or a single serious incident can create a hostile work environment or affect someone’s job. Your New York City sexual harassment lawyer can help you fight back. At The Bloom Firm, we’ve recovered millions of dollars in compensation for our clients. We’re ready to help you, next. Take a look at the cases we handle, and contact us today to get started.

Quid Pro Quo Harassment: This occurs when job benefits such as promotions, raises, or continued employment are tied to unwanted conduct. A supervisor or person in authority may make these requests directly or indirectly.

Hostile Work Environment: Repeated comments, jokes, or actions of a sexual nature can create an uncomfortable or offensive workplace. Even if no job action is taken, the environment itself may be enough to contact your New York sexual harassment lawyer.

Harassment By Supervisors: When a manager or supervisor engages in inappropriate behavior, the impact can be more serious due to their position. These cases often involve power imbalance and pressure on the employee.

Harassment By Coworkers: Inappropriate conduct is not limited to supervisors. Coworkers may also engage in behavior that creates a hostile work environment, and employers may still be responsible if they fail to act.

Harassment By Clients Or Customers: Some employees face misconduct from people outside the company, such as clients or customers. As your workplace sexual misconduct lawyer can explain, employers may have a duty to address this behavior when it affects their staff.

Retaliation After Reporting Harassment: Reporting harassment should not lead to negative job consequences. If an employee is disciplined, demoted, or terminated after making a complaint, that may point to retaliation.

Online And Digital Harassment: Messages, emails, or social media activity can also be part of a harassment claim. These forms of communication can create the same kind of hostile environment as in-person conduct – but they also provide evidence for your workplace misconduct attorney.

Unwanted Physical Contact: Physical actions such as touching, blocking movement, or other unwanted contact may support a claim. These situations are taken seriously due to the direct nature of the conduct.

Verbal Harassment And Comments: Repeated remarks about appearance, jokes, or suggestive comments can form the basis of a claim. The focus is often on how frequent and severe the behavior is over time.

Failure To Address Complaints: Employers are expected to respond to complaints and take action when needed. When a company ignores reports or does not take reasonable steps, you should contact your worker harassment lawyer.

Get In Touch With Us Today

At The Bloom Firm, we take a practical approach to these cases. We look at the facts, explain your options, and help you decide how to move forward. We’re one of the largest victim’s rights law firms in the country, and we’re ready to support you. If you believe you have been subjected to harassment at work, reach out to our team to discuss your situation with an experienced New York City sexual harassment lawyer.