One day when a female employee of a New Jersey deli went to work, she unknowingly walked into a very precarious situation. When the employee went to work that day, she witnessed her manager engaging in a sexual act with another employee. Although the female employee did not engage in any inappropriate act herself, she claims she endured retaliatory termination after the incident.

Almost immediately after the female employee witnessed the inappropriate incident, the male manager approached the female employee to talk to her about the previous events. The actual conversation that occurred between the manger and the female employee was not publically released, but the female employee claims that during the conversation she was harassed by the manger. Following the incident, the female employee contacted the human resource department for the New Jersey employer to report the incident and related harassment she endured.

After the female employee made her report to the human resource department, she claims her working environment turned into a very hostile environment and she was treated adversely because she reported the incident. The female employee was ultimately terminated from her employment.

The female employee has filed a lawsuit against her former employee for the claimed employment violations. The complaint states that the employer created a hostile work environment and ultimately terminated her for reporting the inappropriate incident. As stated in the lawsuit, the female employee has claimed actual and punitive damages. The actual damages include lost wages that have accrued since her termination. The lawsuit is still in a discovery stage and remains pending.

Source: Nj.com, “South Jersey Acme employee claims she was fired for reporting manager’s sex act,” Spencer Kent, Jan. 27, 2013