Vermont Legal Aid Helps Woman Who Was Harassed by Her Employer
A twenty-five year old woman with a young child worked hard as a front desk attendant/hostess. After she had major maxillofacial surgery resulting in the loss of her two front teeth, her employer made frequent jokes and derogatory statements about her condition. He said things like, “Even your baby has more teeth than you do.” Despite her repeated requests that the harassment stop, the abuse continued. Eventually the woman quit. When her request for unemployment benefits was denied, she asked Vermont Legal Aid for help. VLA appealed to the Employment Security Board on her behalf. The Board reversed the denial and granted her the unemployment benefits she deserved. Vermont Legal Aid successfully convinced the board that the harassment had, in fact, occurred. The court agreed that the twenty-five year old worker had been justified in quitting her job because any further complaints she would have made to the owner would have gone unanswered.
Vermont Legal Aid provides free civil legal services to poor, elderly and disabled Vermonters who would otherwise be denied justice or the necessities of life.
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