Regardless of the type of employer you are, you depend, on some
level, on customers who are willing to pay for the goods or
services being offered. And the old adage, "The Customer
is Always Right," a mantra of the American business community
since this country's founding, is as true today as it was then.
But from time to time, valued customers will step over the
line and act inappropriately towards company employees. If
and when that occurs, employers need to understand the legal
ramifications of dealing with the fallout.
Recently, a receptionist at a New Jersey automobile dealership
brought an action against her employer for violation of the New
Jersey Law Against Discrimination. In the Complaint, she
alleged, inter alia, that her employer retaliated
after she pressed charges against a high-profile customer who had
tugged at her shirt and exposed her bra. Thereafter, she
alleged that her work environment became hostile until she was
terminated.
