Boss’s Overheard Sex Talk Not Harassment, Court Says (1)

Is sexually suggestive talk among a supervisor and other male workers about some of their female colleagues illegal sexual harassment when it’s overheard by one of the women? Not if it’s a one-time thing and the talk wasn’t especially ugly or directed at the woman who overheard it, a federal judge in Wisconsin ruled.

The March 20 decision by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin adds to the debate about whether and when a lone instance of alleged harassment may be actionable under federal law. The ruling also reaffirms that a single incident of verbal workplace ...