My (28F) Coworker (30F) Filed a Complaint Against Me for Creating a Hostile Work Environment

Jennifer sounds pretty crazy. But honestly this type of thing is why it’s not recommended that you get into workplace relationships. I can’t give you much advice but I can share my expertise in employment litigation.

She has filed a complaint against you. I’m not sure how this works in the private sector if that’s where you are, but in the federal sector (where I work as an employment lawyer), the individual makes a complaint to the EEO office, who conducts an investigation. The investigation is ongoing for many months, after which time a report of investigation is sent to the parties and the EEOC. The complainant can ask for a hearing, at which point the case is assigned to an EEOC administrative judge and the lawsuit proceeds. The complainant (in this case Jennifer) hires their own lawyer. Meanwhile, the respondent is not technically the person who created the HWE, but rather is the federal agency/organization. Which has attorneys on salary to fight lawsuits like this, so you would not need to hire your own counsel. The agency’s attorney will negotiate any settlements, file briefs, and attend conferences on “your” behalf. You can expect to be called as a witness during the hearing, which may include several witness prep sessions. You may also be deposed by the complainant and asked to provide responses to written discovery requests. This Reddit post is discoverable, as well as any other social media post you make about the issue and any comments in person you make to anyone or write in any emails.

Again, not sure if any of this is helpful to you depending on where you work, but it may help to take some of the mystery out of the EEO complaint process.

/r/relationship_advice Thread