The woman, Tiffany Pete, asked Partee if he would serve as corroborating witness in a sexual harassment complaint against their supervisor. Caught in the middle of workplace sexual harassment are often people like Partee: witnesses who struggle with how to respond. Often, according to lawyers who litigate sexual harassment cases, they end up facing the same repercussions as the victims they were trying to protect. While the law prohibits retaliation against witnesses who oppose sexual harassment, it can be difficult to prove their case in court. As often occurs in sexual harassment cases, the EEOC had to prove that Partee engaged in "protected activity" under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that deals with sexual harassment.

Source: ABC News December 17, 2017 15:33 UTC