Morgantown Sexual Harassment Lawyer

A Morgantown Sexual Harassment Lawyer for When You Don’t Know What Happens Next

You know something happened at work that crossed a line. Report it, and you risk your paycheck or your job. Say nothing, and you keep showing up anyway, carrying it alone. That is what most employers are counting on, and it is often why so many complaints never go anywhere.

What you need first is someone who has seen how employer legal teams tend to respond, before you say a word to HR. That is what a Morgantown sexual harassment lawyer does first. 

Matthew Hansberry spent years defending companies inside Littler Mendelson, the world’s largest employment law defense firm, before he started representing the employees those firms are paid to outlast. 

Best Lawyers named him a 2023 Lawyer of the Year in two separate West Virginia employment law categories, an honor only one attorney per practice area per region receives each year. 

Hansberry & Wagoner built this practice around understanding how the other side operates, so you’re not guessing about what comes next. 

Tell us what has been happening, and we will tell you plainly where you stand and how much time you have left to use it.

What Counts as Sexual Harassment at a West Virginia Workplace

Sexual harassment does not have to mean unwanted touching, although it can. Under West Virginia Code Section 16B-17-9, it is illegal for an employer to let a hostile environment continue once they know about it, and it is just as illegal for a supervisor to tie your job, your schedule, or a promotion to sexual favors. 

It does not matter whether the person harassing you is your boss, a coworker, or a client, and it does not matter whether the harassment happened once or every week for a year.

• Repeated sexual comments, jokes, or questions about your body
• A supervisor linking a raise, schedule, or promotion to sexual favors
• Unwanted touching, cornering, or physical contact
• Sexually explicit texts, images, or messages sent through work channels
• Being punished, demoted, or pushed out after you said no or reported it

None of this has to keep happening for you to have a case. One documented incident, reported to the right person, can be enough to start building one.

What Waiting Costs You in Monongalia County

West Virginia gives you two ways to hold an employer accountable, and both run on a clock. 

You generally have 365 days from the last incident to file a charge with the West Virginia Human Rights Commission, and up to two years to file a lawsuit directly in circuit court. Miss either window, and the employer who wronged you keeps the case closed for good, regardless of how strong your evidence was.

For employees in and around Morgantown, that lawsuit would be filed in Monongalia County Circuit Court, just blocks from our own Morgantown office on High Street. 

We appear there regularly and know the pace of that courthouse. Every week you wait is a week the clock keeps running, and a week where memories fade and the paper trail on the other side keeps growing. 

Waiting also costs you witnesses. Coworkers change jobs, phones get upgraded, and message threads disappear long before most people think to ask for a lawyer.

We can often help you start preserving texts, emails, and dates right away, even before you decide whether to file anything formally.

How a Former Defense-Side Employment Attorney Builds Your Case

Most employment attorneys have only ever represented employees. Hansberry has sat on the other side of the table, defending companies and drafting the kind of policies employers now use to explain away harassment complaints. That background means we’ve seen which documents an employer’s attorney tends to pull first, which witnesses they tend to interview, and the kinds of defenses they tend to raise.

We start by locking down the timeline in a sexual harassment case, meaning dates, witnesses, texts, emails, and HR records, before memories fade or files go missing. 

We typically request records in writing rather than by conversation, to help make sure nothing gets left out later.

Whether you are still employed or already let go, we build toward the strongest venue for your case, whether that is the Human Rights Commission, circuit court, or federal court. We also flag retaliation early, since a demotion or write-up that follows a complaint can become its own claim.

We help you prepare for what an HR interview or internal investigation may look like, so you’re not walking in blind. 

Employers often treat a complaint differently the moment they realize the employee behind it already has counsel.

Results We’ve Secured for Employees Like You

These outcomes reflect matters we resolved for West Virginia employees across different industries and job types. 

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case turns on its own facts and timeline, and confidential settlements are not always public record.

Before They Call

How long do I have to file a sexual harassment claim in West Virginia?

You generally have 365 days from the most recent incident to file with the West Virginia Human Rights Commission, or up to two years to sue directly in circuit court. Both windows are shorter than they feel, so the sooner we review your timeline, the more options stay open.

What court would hear a sexual harassment lawsuit filed near Morgantown?

If you live or work in Monongalia County, a civil sexual harassment lawsuit is filed in Monongalia County Circuit Court, the 21st Judicial Circuit, at the Monongalia County Justice Center on High Street. We appear there regularly and know how the court handles these cases.

Can my employer fire me for reporting sexual harassment?

No. West Virginia law makes it illegal for an employer to punish you for reporting harassment or refusing an advance, and retaliation is often its own separate claim. If you were disciplined, demoted, or let go after speaking up, tell us. That timeline matters as much as the harassment itself.

What does it cost to talk with a sexual harassment lawyer at Hansberry & Wagoner?

Your first conversation with us costs nothing. We review what happened, explain your realistic options, and discuss fee arrangements, including contingency options where they apply, before you decide anything.

If any of this sounds like your situation, the fastest way to know where you stand is to talk it through with us directly.

Talk to a Morgantown Sexual Harassment Lawyer Before Your Window Closes

You do not have to have every detail sorted out before you reach out. 

Tell us what happened, when it happened, and what you are worried about, and we will tell you plainly what your options are and how much time you have left to use them. 

Contact Hansberry & Wagoner to schedule a confidential consultation with a Morgantown sexual harassment lawyer who has already seen this from both sides of the table.