The Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit against President Clinton finally has come to an end. After years of legal wrangling, maneuvering and delaying, the Clinton administration can claim one major victory in its prolonged war with a myriad of adversaries. Though Clinton can breathe a sigh of relief, the question of what constitutes sexual harassment and how to prove it remains.
The Jones suit was ended after U.S. District Court Judge Susan Webber Wright ruled that although the allegations against Clinton were offensive conduct, the case against him was “veneer-thin” because no proof exists that Jones suffered in her state job as she alleged. Wright thus ordered the case dismissed as “without merit.”
The Jones trail brought about a variety of results. It showed that no one, not even the president, is above the law. It also demonstrated what partisan politics can do to certain cases. Jones’ case was advanced by groups whose efforts to embarrass and tarnish Clinton’s reputation are well established. Her credibility was severely damaged by her association with these groups, and her waiting multiple years before filing her claim of sexual harassment.
But the case also has brought to the national attention many unanswered questions about just what constitutes sexual harassment. The laws themselves vary from state to state. In addition to this variety of state laws, personal interpretation clouds the question of what is indeed sexual harassment.
Some companies, in a rush to protect themselves from lawsuits, have strict rules governing interaction between the sexes. Is it sexual harassment when a man has a picture at his desk of his wife in a bathing suit? Are there grounds for a lawsuit if a male worker tells a female coworker about a sitcom episode in which the punchline is “Delores?”
Until more attention is given to defining sexual harassment, we will be faced with many frivolous lawsuits. But at the same time, many real cases of harassment will go unreported. Perhaps the best advice for anyone who feels sexually harassed is to speak up and make their superiors aware of the situation.
