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Close Up:
Sexual Harassment & Abuse

At Serino & Nocon LLP, we represent survivors who have been harassed, abused, or degraded in the workplace and elsewhere, and we fight to hold wrongdoers and their facilitators accountable. We deeply understand the courage it takes to come forward. We are committed to giving survivors a powerful voice and pursuing justice with compassion, discretion, and relentless advocacy.

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Institutional Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Cases

We represent survivors of sexual abuse against institutions that allowed abuse to occur, continue, or remain hidden. These cases often involve schools, youth-serving organizations, religious institutions, residential programs, athletic organizations, or other entities that had a duty to protect children, students, patients, employees, or vulnerable individuals.

Institutional abuse cases may involve:

  • Prior complaints about the same perpetrator;

  • Internal investigations that were concealed or mishandled;

  • Confidential settlements or nondisclosure agreements used to keep misconduct quiet;

  • Reassignment, quiet discipline, or continued employment of a known predator;

  • Failure to report abuse to law enforcement or appropriate agencies;

  • Failure to supervise, train, or remove dangerous individuals;

  • Retaliation or intimidation against survivors, families, or witnesses; and

  • A pattern of protecting the institution instead of protecting victims.

When institutions cover up sexual abuse, they do more than fail one survivor — they create the conditions for abuse to happen again. Our goal is to uncover what the institution knew, when it knew it, and what it failed to do.

School Sexual Abuse Cases

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Schools and educational institutions have a responsibility to protect students from sexual abuse, grooming, harassment, and exploitation. When a teacher, coach, administrator, staff member, volunteer, or other adult abuses a student, the school may be responsible if it ignored warning signs, failed to act on complaints, failed to properly supervise, or allowed the perpetrator continued access to students.

We investigate whether the school or district had notice of prior misconduct, whether complaints were mishandled, and whether administrators prioritized avoiding scandal over student safety.

These cases may involve public or private schools, boarding schools, colleges, universities, athletic programs, and youth organizations affiliated with educational institutions.

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Workplace Sexual Harassment & Assault

We also represent employees, contractors, interns, and job applicants who have experienced serious sexual harassment, sexual assault, or coercion in the workplace. California law protects workers from sexual harassment, hostile work environments, retaliation, and quid pro quo harassment, and employees may file workplace harassment complaints with the California Civil Rights Department within applicable deadlines.

Workplace sexual harassment cases may include:

  • Unwanted sexual comments, messages, propositions, or conduct;

  • Repeated sexual jokes, remarks, or advances;

  • Sexual touching, assault, or battery;

  • Harassment by a supervisor, manager, coworker, customer, or third party;

  • Employers ignoring complaints or failing to investigate;

  • Retaliation after reporting harassment or assault;

  • Termination, demotion, reduced hours, or other punishment after speaking up; and

  • A hostile work environment that made it difficult or impossible to continue working.

Employers are required to take reasonable steps to prevent and correct harassment in the workplace, and California guidance recognizes employer responsibility for addressing workplace harassment and maintaining appropriate anti-harassment policies and complaint procedures.

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Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment

Quid pro quo sexual harassment occurs when a supervisor or person in authority makes job benefits, continued employment, promotions, assignments, scheduling, pay, or other workplace opportunities dependent on accepting unwanted sexual advances or sexual conduct.

Examples may include:

  • A supervisor suggesting that an employee must tolerate sexual conduct to keep their job;

  • A manager conditioning promotions, raises, favorable shifts, or opportunities on sexual attention;

  • Threats of termination, discipline, or negative treatment after rejecting advances;

  • Pressure to engage in sexual conduct in exchange for workplace benefits; or

  • Retaliation after refusing sexual advances.

No one should have to choose between their livelihood and their safety or dignity.

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The Types of Cases We Evaluate

Because these cases require significant investigation, resources, and careful handling, our firm focuses on serious matters involving substantial harm and institutional or employer responsibility.

We typically evaluate cases involving:

  • Sexual harassment, assault, or abuse in Southern California;

  • Recent workplace harassment or assault;

  • Harassment or assault involving an employer with multiple employees;

  • Conduct by a supervisor, manager, teacher, coach, administrator, or person in authority;

  • Situations where an employer or institution knew or should have known about the misconduct and failed to act;

  • Evidence of a cover-up, prior complaints, confidential settlements, nondisclosure agreements, internal investigations, reassignment, quiet discipline, or protection of the perpetrator;

  • Survivors who suffered emotional, physical, professional, educational, or financial harm; and

  • Cases where the survivor is not required to proceed through a union grievance process before pursuing legal claims.

This page is based on the firm’s internal case criteria, including workplace sexual harassment, quid pro quo harassment, workplace sexual assault, Southern California location requirements, employer-size considerations, timing requirements, and evidence of institutional cover-up or employer knowledge.

Begin Your Confidential Consultation

If you were sexually harassed, assaulted, abused, or retaliated against — or if you believe an institution or employer covered up prior misconduct — we can help you understand your legal options.

Contact us for a confidential consultation. We will listen to what happened, evaluate whether the institution or employer may be legally responsible, and help determine the best path forward.