Journal of Human Rights Symposium 2002
HUMAN RIGHTS AND EMPLOYMENT LAW: SPOTLIGHT ON
SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ITS RESOLUTION
Friday, November 15, 2002

Symposium Statement

New York Law School and its Journal of Human Rights are proud to present this Employment Law Symposium with emphasis on sexual harassment and the changes in employment law/employment discrimination over the past twenty years.

Sexual Harassment is a form of discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) generally defines sexual harassment as, "unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature… when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment."

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is a general term for methods of resolving legal conflicts outside the courtroom. It includes a wide range of mechanisms that parties in dispute can take advantage of in lieu of formal litigation. Mediation and arbitration are the most well-known forms of ADR, and those most often used in cases being brought by employees against their employers for sexual harassment.

The practice of employment law/employment discrimination has changed drastically in the past twenty years. The law itself has changed, as well as the rules concerning attorneys' fees in these types of cases. There have also been changes in the make-up of courts that have had a significant impact on the decisions regarding employment litigation. This symposium will address a number of these changes and the effects they have had in this area of the law.