Vulgarity No Excuse For Harassment: 11th Circ.

By James Armstrong

Law360, New York (January 21, 2010, 5:04 PM ET) -- The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has ruled en banc that sex-specific derogatory comments can constitute a hostile work environment, even if they are a part of generally accepted vulgar language and behavior in a workplace.

The appeals court on Wednesday reversed a district court decision to throw out an employee's sexual harassment case against C.H. Robinson Worldwide because derogatory comments about women were accompanied by other generically vulgar remarks and were not necessarily aimed at the defendant.

After the U.S. District Court...
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