Jail Workers Get Go-Ahead for Suits Over Harassment by Detainees

Cook County, Ill., and its sheriff’s office lost their bid to defeat claims by more than 300 correctional officers over alleged sexual harassment by detainees.

That the claims are brought by both female and male employees doesn’t mean the suits failed to plead the “intent” element needed for sexual harassment claims under the equal protection clause, the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois said. Women and men can be harmed by sexually hostile work environments in different ways, and the allegations by female employees differ in some ways from the allegations made by the male employees, the ...