At Makarem & Associates, we often hear from employees who tolerate inappropriate workplace behavior because they are worried about what will happen if they speak up. Our client’s lawsuit against Article Student Living PM Services LLC describes that kind of situation. According to the complaint, our client began working for Article Student Living as a Community Assistant in 2023 and worked in the leasing office of an apartment complex where several coworkers also lived. She alleges that her supervisor made sexualized and degrading comments, pressured female employees to drink with him, crossed physical and personal boundaries, and created an intolerable workplace. The complaint asserts claims for sexual harassment, sex discrimination, race discrimination, failure to prevent harassment and discrimination, retaliation, and constructive termination in violation of public policy.
What Started as Comments Became a Pattern
According to the complaint, the harassment was not limited to one inappropriate remark. Our client alleges that her supervisor repeatedly commented on her body and appearance, including telling her that she had gained weight, calling her fat, comparing her body to other employees, and commenting on whether employees and residents were attractive.
The complaint further alleges that he told our client employees needed to be attractive because it was better for business and that she had been hired because she was attractive. He also allegedly pressured our client and other female employees to drink alcohol while working, go out for drinks with him, and attend dinners where he encouraged them to continue drinking.
When Work and Home Were No Longer Separate
One feature of this case made the alleged harassment particularly difficult to escape: our client and several coworkers lived in the same apartment complex where they worked.
According to the complaint, the supervisor possessed a universal key and routinely entered employees’ apartments without permission.
The lawsuit describes one incident after an employer-paid dinner in August 2023. According to the complaint, the supervisor pressured our client to drink and later insisted on using the shower in her apartment. Because he had a key, he let himself inside. Afterward, he allegedly made romantic and sexual advances toward her. Our client rejected those advances and told him his conduct was inappropriate. The next morning, he allegedly asked her not to tell anyone what he had said.
A Second Encounter Escalated Further
The complaint alleges that days later, the supervisor pressured our client to leave work early and get drinks with him.
According to the lawsuit, he encouraged her to drink more than she was comfortable with and later drove her to an isolated area in the Santa Barbara mountains. There, the complaint alleges, he pressured her to hug and dance with him, wrapped his arms around her, and tried to kiss her. Our client allegedly pushed him away and asked to be taken home. The next day, she told him directly that his behavior had made her uncomfortable and that she wanted their relationship to remain strictly professional.
The Allegations Extended Beyond Our Client
Our client’s lawsuit describes a workplace where she was allegedly not the only woman subjected to troubling conduct. According to the complaint, one young coworker contacted our client after an alleged sexual assault involving the same supervisor. The complaint further alleges that the supervisor later entered that employee’s apartment without permission and threatened her not to tell anyone what had happened.
The lawsuit also alleges that the supervisor made racially discriminatory remarks about our client and other employees.
Reporting the Harassment to Human Resources
Despite fearing retaliation, our client eventually reported what was happening. According to the complaint, she and five other young female employees submitted a written complaint to Human Resources in September 2023.
The lawsuit further alleges that Article Student Living already knew of the supervisor’s history of misconduct, including prior sexual and racial harassment allegations. The complaint alleges the company nevertheless failed to take immediate and appropriate corrective action.
Speaking Up Did Not Make the Workplace Tolerable
The lawsuit alleges that our client engaged in protected activity when she rejected her supervisor’s advances, told him his conduct made her uncomfortable, insisted that their relationship remain professional, and later complained to management.
According to the complaint, however, the inappropriate behavior continued and the workplace became increasingly hostile and intolerable. The lawsuit alleges that our client eventually felt she had no reasonable alternative but to resign. She left her employment in November 2024, and the complaint includes a claim for constructive termination in violation of public policy.
What This Case Can Teach California Employees
Harassment can happen outside the office. Work dinners, drinks, and other job-related interactions can still raise harassment concerns.
Repeated comments can form part of a larger pattern. Comments about an employee’s body or attractiveness may matter when viewed alongside other conduct.
A clear rejection should be respected. Employees can tell a supervisor that conduct is unwanted and that the relationship must remain professional.
Harassment of coworkers can matter too. Conduct involving other employees may contribute to the workplace environment.
Document complaints whenever possible. Written reports, messages, dates, and witness names can help preserve what happened.
Retaliation is a separate concern. Employees should not be punished for rejecting harassment or reporting it.
Where the Case Stands
Makarem & Associates filed the complaint against Article Student Living PM Services LLC and an individual supervisor in Santa Barbara County Superior Court. The lawsuit asserts claims for sexual harassment, sex discrimination, race discrimination, failure to prevent harassment and discrimination, retaliation, and constructive termination in violation of public policy.
Makarem & Associates represents employees throughout California in workplace harassment, discrimination, and retaliation matters.
This article is based on allegations made in a publicly filed legal complaint. The allegations described have not yet been proven in court, and the defendants are entitled to respond and defend themselves. Our client’s name and personal identifying details have been withheld out of respect for her privacy. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
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