Boston Workplace Harassment Lawyers
You showed up to do your job. What you didn't sign up for were the offensive comments that followed you from meeting to meeting, the manager who made your skin crawl, the coworkers who made you feel like an outsider in a place you worked hard to earn.
Maybe you reported it, and nothing changed. Maybe you stayed quiet because you needed the job and weren't sure anyone would believe you. Whatever brought you here, know this: what happened to you was not acceptable, and you have rights.
At Greenberg Gross LLP, our Boston workplace harassment lawyers are here to listen, to believe you, and to fight for you with the full force of a nationally recognized trial firm. We have spent more than a decade handling high-stakes employment cases for people who were told to stay silent, to let it go, or to be grateful they still had a job.
We don't accept that. Our attorneys have secured millions in employment settlements, and we bring that same trial-tested commitment to every client who walks through our doors. If you are ready to talk, we are ready to listen. Call us today to discuss your case during a free and confidential consultation.
Why Choose a Workplace Harassment Lawyer from Greenberg Gross LLP
We are a trial law firm built for exactly these moments. Our founders left one of the largest global law firms to build something better - a practice with the resources and firepower of a major firm, paired with a genuine sense of mission. That mission includes standing beside employees when powerful employers try to make them feel powerless.
Here is what sets us apart:
- Nationally recognized trial lawyers - Our attorneys are recognized by Super Lawyers, rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, and listed among the Daily Journal's Top 100 lawyers in California. We bring that caliber of representation to every client, in every state.
- Proven results in employment cases - We secured a $6.1 million whistleblower retaliation judgment and a $10 million settlement for breach of oral contract. We know how to build and win high-stakes employment cases.
- Founders from a global firm - Alan Greenberg and Wayne Gross came from one of the world's largest law firms. They bring elite litigation experience to every workplace case we handle.
- Real trial experience - Our reputation for winning at trial regularly compels opposing counsel to settle early. As our CEO Alan Greenberg explains, "Our reputation of winning big at trial often makes opponents decide to settle early to avoid trying cases against us."
- Free consultations - We offer a confidential, no-cost consultation so you can talk through your situation without any financial pressure.
Your career, your dignity, and your livelihood matter. We treat every case that way.
Call our Boston office at (617) 800-9199 to speak with a trial-tested workplace harassment attorney today.
What Is Workplace Harassment Under Massachusetts Law?
Workplace harassment is a form of discrimination that violates both state and federal law when it targets an employee because of a protected characteristic. Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 151B, employees are protected from harassment based on characteristics including:
- Race, color, or national origin
- Sex or gender
- Sexual orientation and gender identity
- Age (40 and older)
- Disability or medical condition
- Religion or creed
- Pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions
- Military service or veteran status
- Genetic information
Federal law adds additional protections under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). Massachusetts law is often more protective than federal law, which is one reason having an experienced Boston workplace harassment lawyer matters so much.
Harassment becomes unlawful when it is severe or pervasive enough to create what the law calls a "hostile work environment" or when it results in a tangible employment action such as demotion, termination, or loss of pay.
Types of Workplace Harassment We Handle
Workplace harassment takes many forms, and our attorneys are experienced across all of them. Some situations involve a single serious incident. Others involve a slow accumulation of behavior that grows harder to tolerate over time. Both are worth taking seriously.
- Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment includes unwanted advances, inappropriate touching, sexually explicit comments or jokes, requests for sexual favors, and situations where submission to sexual conduct is tied - explicitly or implicitly - to job security or advancement. This is sometimes called "quid pro quo" harassment (Latin for "this for that").
It also includes hostile work environment sexual harassment, where sexual or gender-based conduct makes the workplace intolerable, even without a direct threat or promise tied to a job benefit.
- Racial Harassment
Racial harassment includes slurs, racially offensive "jokes," stereotyping, exclusion from work activities based on race, or a pattern of treatment that makes it clear an employee is unwelcome because of their race or ethnicity. This type of harassment is often dismissed or minimized by employers, but it is unlawful, and it is actionable.
- Disability-Based Harassment
Employees with physical or mental disabilities are protected from harassment tied to their condition or perceived condition. This includes mocking an employee's disability, making hostile remarks about accommodations, or creating pressure that forces a disabled employee out of a role they are qualified to perform.
- Age-Based Harassment
Older workers in Boston's financial, healthcare, technology, and professional services industries sometimes face pressure campaigns designed to push them toward early retirement or out of the company entirely.
Derogatory comments about age, exclusion from meetings or projects, and a pattern of treatment that signals an employee is no longer valued because of age can all constitute unlawful harassment.
- Religious Harassment
Employees have the right to practice their faith without facing ridicule, hostility, or pressure to abandon religious observance. When an employer or coworker targets someone because of their religion, or refuses to provide reasonable accommodations for religious practices, that conduct may rise to the level of unlawful harassment.
No matter what form harassment takes in your situation, our attorneys want to hear what you have experienced.
Hostile Work Environment Claims in Boston
A hostile work environment is one where harassment is so severe or so persistent that a reasonable person would find it impossible to do their job effectively. You do not need to prove that you suffered a mental breakdown or that your performance suffered.
The standard focuses on whether the conduct was objectively hostile and whether it was connected to a protected characteristic. Factors courts and the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) consider include:
- How frequently the harassing conduct occurred
- How severe each individual incident was
- Whether the harassment was physically threatening or humiliating
- Whether the harassment interfered with your ability to perform your job
- How the employer responded when the conduct was reported
It is important to understand that Massachusetts law does not require the harasser to be your direct supervisor. Harassment from coworkers, managers in other departments, or even third parties like clients or contractors can give rise to a claim, particularly when the employer knew or should have known and failed to act.
Boston employees file harassment claims with the MCAD before pursuing a lawsuit in state court. Navigating that process with an experienced attorney significantly improves your ability to preserve your legal rights and build a strong record.
Employer Liability and Retaliation Protections
When a supervisor engages in workplace harassment, employers face heightened legal exposure. Under both Massachusetts and federal law, an employer may be strictly liable for a supervisor's harassment - meaning you do not need to prove the company knew about it. When coworkers engage in harassment, employer liability turns on whether management knew or reasonably should have known and whether the employer took appropriate corrective action.
Many employees worry about one thing above all else: retaliation. That fear is valid, and the law addresses it directly.
Reporting workplace harassment is a protected activity. Retaliation against an employee for making a complaint - whether formal or informal - is independently unlawful under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 151B and federal anti-discrimination statutes. Retaliation can look like:
- Sudden negative performance reviews that didn't exist before
- Reduced hours, reassignment, or demotion
- Exclusion from projects, meetings, or advancement opportunities
- Termination shortly after a complaint is made
- Increased scrutiny or micromanagement that didn't exist before
Our attorneys handle workplace harassment claims alongside retaliation claims, because the two often go hand in hand. We secured a $6.1 million whistleblower retaliation judgment - and we understand how to build a case that accounts for everything an employer has done.
What You May Be Able to Recover
Employees who successfully pursue workplace harassment claims may be entitled to a range of compensation. Recovery depends on the specific facts of your case, but may include:
- Back pay - lost wages from the time of adverse action
- Front pay - projected future earnings lost due to the harassment or wrongful termination
- Emotional distress damages - compensation for the psychological harm caused by the harassment
- Punitive damages - in cases involving particularly egregious employer conduct
- Attorney's fees and costs - Massachusetts law allows fee-shifting in many employment cases
- Reinstatement - restoration to your former position in appropriate circumstances
The range of available recovery reflects how seriously Massachusetts law takes workplace harassment. No amount of money fully addresses what you've been through, but accountability matters, and so does your financial security going forward.
FAQs Answered by Our Boston Workplace Harassment Lawyers
Here are answers to some of the most common questions we hear from employees in Boston who are considering their options.
How long do I have to file a workplace harassment claim in Massachusetts?
Under Massachusetts law, you generally have 300 days from the last act of harassment to file a charge with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD). Under federal law, that window is also 300 days. Missing these deadlines can forfeit your right to bring a claim, which is why speaking with an attorney promptly is so important.
Do I need to report harassment to HR before I can file a legal claim?
Not necessarily, but how you reported harassment, when you reported it, and how your employer responded all factor into your case. Reporting to HR or management creates a written record and puts the employer on notice. If the employer fails to respond appropriately after receiving notice, that strengthens your claim significantly.
What if the harassment came from a client or customer, not a coworker?
You may still have a viable claim. Massachusetts employers have a legal obligation to provide a harassment-free workplace, which extends to third-party conduct the employer knows about and fails to address. If you reported harassment from a client and your employer did nothing, speak with an attorney.
Can I file a claim if I resigned because the harassment was unbearable?
Yes. This is known as "constructive discharge" - when working conditions become so intolerable that a reasonable person would feel compelled to resign. Courts treat a constructive discharge the same as a termination in many harassment and discrimination cases.
What should I do to preserve evidence of workplace harassment?
Document everything you can, including dates, times, locations, what was said or done, and who witnessed it. Save copies of emails, text messages, or written communications that reflect the harassing conduct. Keep this documentation somewhere outside of work systems. Avoid discussing your legal plans on work devices or platforms your employer controls.
Can my employer fire me for contacting a lawyer?
No. Consulting with an attorney about your employment rights is a protected activity. Any adverse action taken because you sought legal counsel could be considered retaliation, which is independently unlawful.
Does it matter how long the harassment has been going on?
The duration and frequency of harassing conduct affects the strength of your claim, but even a single severe incident can give rise to a legal claim. Patterns of behavior over time tend to support hostile work environment claims, while a single serious incident may support other theories of liability. Every situation is different, and our attorneys evaluate the full picture.
Speak with a Boston Workplace Harassment Attorney Today
You deserve to work in an environment that respects your dignity. When that right is violated, Greenberg Gross LLP is ready to stand beside you. Our trial-tested employment lawyers have secured multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements for employees facing discrimination, harassment, and retaliation - and we bring that same level of commitment to every client we serve.
We offer free, confidential consultations. No pressure. No obligation. Just an honest conversation about your situation and your options.
Call our Boston office at (617) 800-9199. You took a step by reading this far. Let us help you take the next one.