California Makes It Easier to Bring Sexual Harassment Claims

California strengthened legal protections against workplace sexual harassment under a bill signed into law Sept. 30 by Gov. Jerry Brown (D).

The measure (S.B. 1300) allows workers to sue for a single incident of harassment, which ends a “free pass on unlawful behavior,” Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D), who authored the bill, has said. The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2019.

The new law changes the legal standard by rejecting a 2000 federal appellate court ruling that said harassment must be “severe or pervasive” to violate state law, according to the bill’s supporters.

Since the 2000 ruling, perpetrators have gotten ...