Sexual Harassment Lawyers in Virginia Beach – Verbal Conduct

Written by our employment lawyers in Virginia Beach

Yes, you can file a sexual harassment claim against you employer based on Verbal Conduct.  However, it’s best to know if such harassment is legally actionable based on what was said, how often, and why it was said.

For more than a decade, our sexual harassment lawyers in Virginia Beach have helped employees determine if they have grounds for a sexual harassment lawsuit, then file it, against businesses throughout Hampton Roads, including Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Portsmouth.

When verbal conduct can qualify as sexual harassment
Under both Virginia and federal law, sexual harassment includes unwelcome verbal conduct of a sexual nature, such as:

• Sexual jokes or comments
• Innuendos or propositions
• Comments about your body or gender
• Repeated offensive remarks tied to your sex

This type of verbal behavior is explicitly recognized as potential harassment.

Not all offensive comments are illegal
For a sexual harassment claim to succeed, the verbal conduct must meet a legal threshold and be:

• Severe or pervasive (not just one mild or isolated comment)
• Unwelcome
• Based on a protected characteristic (like sex/gender)
• Creating a hostile or offensive work environment, or affecting your job

Courts use a “reasonable person” standard, meaning the behavior must be objectively offensive, not just personally upsetting.  For example:

• A one-time inappropriate joke  =  usually not enough
• Repeated sexual comments that make work uncomfortable  =  possibly case

The verbal conduct must be tied to your sex (or another protected class)
This is where many people get confused.  Know these differences:

• General yelling, bullying, or rude language = not illegal harassment by itself
• Verbal conduct tied to your gender/sex  =  potentially illegal

For example:

• “You’re incompetent”  =  not sexual harassment
• “Women don’t belong here” or sexual remarks  =  could be

Two main legal paths
You may have a claim if the verbal conduct falls into one of these:

• Hostile work environment
  (ongoing verbal harassment that makes your workplace abusive)
• Quid pro quo harassment
  (“Go out with me or you won’t get promoted”)

What to do next
If this is happening, it is important to NOT wait:

• Document exact words, dates, witnesses
• Report it internally (HR or supervisor if safe)

Verbal Conduct alone can support a sexual harassment claim in Virginia if it’s sexual in nature, unwelcome, and serious or repeated enough to create a hostile work environment.

If this is happening to you, we can help. Our employment lawyers in Virginia Beach have extensive experience in representing clients in sexual harassment litigation before federal and state courts and administrative agencies. If you want to fight back, we are able to help in all phases of litigation.

If you like where you work and NEED that job for your family, DO NOT let sexual harassment drive you from it. We can help!  Please call us immediately at (757) 432-2500 or use our online form below.

Sexual harassment lawyers in Virginia Beach serving Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and all of Hampton Roads.