On 28 July 2023, the District Court made a judgment on the assessment of damages in a sexual harassment case where a female Event Coordinator of a recreation club (the Claimant) was sexually harassed on multiple occasions by the male Operations Manager (the Respondent) at the time when they were both working at the club.

The Claimant alleged that the Respondent abused his senior position to sexually harass her in the workplace for over a year, including making unwelcome physical contact such as stroking her back, and giving her unwelcome attention of a sexual nature by staring at her chest when her clothes got wet in the rain during a workplace event. The Claimant alleged that she resigned from her job which she cherished as a result of the distress caused by the continuous acts of sexual harassment.

In providing legal assistance to the Claimant, the EOC’s in-house lawyers acted as the legal representatives of the Claimant in conducting the case, issuing legal proceedings under the Sex Discrimination Ordinance and attending court hearings on her behalf. Following a default judgment entered against the Respondent, the Court awarded $80,000 in damages for injury to feelings and exemplary damages of $10,000 to the Claimant.

EOC Chairperson Mr Ricky CHU Man-kin said, “This ruling sends a strong reminder to all employees and employers that there should be zero tolerance of sexual harassment in the workplace. For employers, it is also pertinent to put in place mechanisms for preventing and handling sexual harassment, and to take decisive action when such incidents occur.”

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