Employment Law | Expert Legal Commentary

September 4, 2009

Hughes v. Pair: High Standards for Sexual Harassment by Professionals

Hughes v. Pair

By Jeremy J. Gray of Zuber & Taillieu

The California Supreme Court has held that a few vulgar and offensive but isolated comments made on a single day in the course of a professional relationship lasting several years did not constitute either actionable sexual harassment or intentional infliction of emotional distress. In Hughes v. Pair, 46 Cal. 4th 1035 (2009), California’s highest court affirmed lower courts’ grant of summary judgment in favor of a trustee who allegedly made inappropriate sexual comments to the mother of a trust beneficiary, finding that the plaintiff had not established that the comments were “pervasive or severe” enough to be actionable.

About the Author

Jeremy J. Gray is a Partner of Zuber & Taillieu, focusing on employment law.

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