Phillips & Associates Wins $50,000 Retaliation Lawsuit for Terminated Bronx Woman Who Claimed Sexual Harassment

NEW YORK, July 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- New York plaintiff's law firm Phillips & Associates Attorneys at Law, PLLC, recently obtained a favorable $50,000 jury verdict on behalf of a Bronx employee, Ingrit Echevarria, who claimed she was subject to sexual harassment at work and eventually fired for complaining. The Defendants were Insight Medical, P.C., Al Okhravi, and Dr. Steve Okhravi.

According to court documents, Echevarria was an office manager at Insight Medical, a medical company located in the Bronx. During the course of several months, Echevarria's manager, Al Okhravi, would make sexually suggestive remarks and unwanted sexual advances toward her.

Echevarria claimed that when she complained directly to Dr. Steve Okhravi, the owner of the company and the harasser's brother, he failed to take any steps to stop the unwanted activity and instead told her to take her complaints to the Pope. He then terminated her employment within minutes.

Echevarria brought claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the New York City Human Rights Law prohibiting sexual harassment and discrimination. Echevarria claimed that her manager violated these laws by making unwanted sexual remarks, comments, and requests for sex. Echevarria claimed that Dr. Steve Okhravi failed to take any steps to protect her when she complained and, instead, immediately terminated her.

As a result of these actions, Echevarria claimed that she suffered a loss of career and loss of salary. She also claimed that she suffered emotional and physical injuries related to the unwanted sexual harassment and dealing with the fallout of the retaliatory termination. She sought damages to make her whole for the suffering, compensation for her injuries, and punitive damages to punish the employer, as well as reasonable attorney's fees and costs.

The jury ultimately found in Echevarria's favor on her claim that she had been retaliated against for complaining about being sexually harassed. The jury awarded her $50,000 in compensatory damages. Echevarria is also entitled to all attorney fees and costs, which can be substantial. This was a significant win for the employee. In a retaliation claim, an employee may prevail even if the underlying conduct complained of was not proven, so long as the plaintiff demonstrates that she possessed a good-faith, reasonable belief that the underlying conduct was unlawful when she complained. New York Employment Attorney, Jesse Rose, Of Counsel to Phillips & Associates, represented Echevarria. Mr. Rose stated, "The termination occurring within minutes of the complaint of harassment is an egregious violation of the law. The jury's finding in this case should serve as a warning to those who would ignore complaints of harassment or retaliate against victims."

About Phillips & Associates

Phillips & Associates is a New York City law firm that focuses on helping victims of workplace discrimination and sexual harassment. We have successfully fought for the rights of employees who faced harassment or discrimination due to their protected characteristics such as age, race, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, and disability. We are conveniently located in New York Financial District at 45 Broadway, Suite 620, New York, New York 10006.  For more information, please call us at 212-248-7431 or visit www.newyorkcitydiscriminationlawyer.com.

Contact
Candy Hernandez
45 Broadway, Suite 620
New York, NY, 10006
(212) 248-7431
[email protected]
www.newyorkcitydiscriminationlawyer.com

SOURCE Phillips & Associates