Sexual Harassment Case: REINHART v. COUNTY OF ORANGE,

In this case, the Plaintiff sued the County of Orange and Larry Forrester, who was her supervisor, alleging that she was the victim of sexual harassment and was forced to quit. Reinhart disagreed with the court excluding testimony of alleged sexual harassment suffered by other female employees at the hands of the defendants. The Court of Appeal held that the evidence was properly excluded.

Case Law Note


In limited circumstances, evidence of sexual harassment against other employees is admissible to prove a hostile work environment. "Harassment against others in the workplace is only relevant to the plaintiff's case if she has personal knowledge of it. Unless plaintiff witnesses the conduct against others, or is otherwise aware of it, that conduct cannot alter the conditions of her employment and create an abusive working environment." Beyda v. City of Los Angeles (1998) 65 Cal App 4th 511,520