The Ellen Show Plagued by Accusations of Sexual Harassment

Dozens of past employees of The Ellen Show have claimed that they were the victims of sexual harassment and other types of sexual misconduct by certain top-tier producers of the show. In the aftermath of these allegations, the show’s parent company – WarnerMedia – carried out an investigation. Subsequently, on August 17 three of the show’s top producers were fired.

The firings and accusations

Kevin Leman, Ed Glavin, and Jonathan Norman, co-executive producer or the top executives let go. Glavin did not provide comment, but Norman and Leman have each denied committing any type of sexual misconduct

The accusations against Leman are that he made numerous sexually explicit comments within the workplace. Nearly a dozen former employees have given statements are testimony to these accusations. Glavin has been accused of inappropriate physical contact with female staffers, engaging and intimidation tactics against staffers, and openly showering in the office.

Types of workplace sexual harassment

What is alleged by some of the employees of The Ellen Show is a hostile work environment, generated through sexual harassment. Situations involving quid pro quo can also occur in these environments.

Quid pro quo involves the exchange of something for something. In the employment arena, it involves conditioning an employee to submit to unwanted sexual advances in order to have that employee receive an employment benefit.

A hostile work environment is present when unsolicited harassing conduct occurs from one employee to another because of gender or sex. For a hostile environment to be created, the harassment must be of such pervasiveness or severity that a reasonable person in the victim’s position would have considered the environment abusive or hostile. The conduct must alter the initial terms and conditions of the employment. Isolated, trivial, sporadic, or occasional conduct does not necessarily equate to pervasive are severe and produce a hostile work environment in the legal sense.

What to do if you are a victim of workplace sexual harassment

You may feel helpless or powerless if you are the victim of sexual harassment in the workplace or in any type of social or professional situation. An experienced sexual harassment attorney can help you evaluate what you have experienced and do so with understanding and compassion.

It is important to inform the harasser that he or she must stop the activity. If this is not possible, however, that is completely understandable. Some of these situations can be very intimidating. If possible, document your harassment in any responses given to you by your employer after you have reported it. A skilled sexual harassment lawyer can take the details of your experience and assess your case carefully to determine the best steps forward.

Regardless of the amount of detailed information you have or can recall about the incidents of harassment against you, providing your best recollection and even estimated times and dates is important and useful. If possible, provide your attorney with records of written communication between you and the perpetrator, including phone calls, texts, social media messages, instant messages, emails, etc.

If you have suffered sexual harassment in the workplace, Taylor & Ring is here to help you pursue justice and the financial damages you are owed. Our Los Angeles sexual harassment attorneys serve clients throughout Southern California and are here to help you. To arrange a consultation, give us a call today at 310.776.6390, or send us a message through our contact form.