New Jersey technology fans might be interested to hear that a woman who formerly worked for the dating app Tinder is suing the company for gender-based discrimination and sexual harassment. Early on in the company’s existence, the woman was its vice president for marketing and was also a co-founder of the business.

For a short time in 2013, the woman was in a relationship with the company’s male marketing chief, and when they broke up, she claims that he used sexist language against her. He and Tinder’s CEO then took away her title of co-founder. In addition, the woman alleges that male employees often used sexist and racist language, and the CEO ignored her concerns. Because of this behavior, she was forced our of her position with the company. According to a spokesperson for the company, while the marketing chief has been suspended for sending the woman inappropriate messages, the rest of her allegations about the company are not grounded in fact.

Recently, a number of technology companies have faced allegations of sexist behavior. The CEO of photo app Snapchat apologized after sending inappropriate e-mails as a college student, and the company GitHub faced accusations of sexual harassment. Men make up the vast majority of employees at these companies, and female employees may feel a lack of respect from their co-workers.

A person may file a sexual harassment claim if another company employee makes unwanted sexual advances toward them or engages in inappropriate behavior. Sexual harassment can interfere with a person’s ability to do their work appropriately, which may lead to them losing wages, being demoted or getting fired. Through a lawsuit, they can seek compensation for these financial losses as well as any emotional distress they may have experienced due to the harassment.

If you or someone you know may have cause for concern about sexual harassment on the job, it is important to seek immediate legal advice and possible representation by an experienced plaintiff’s employment lawyer.  Time should always be considered “of the essence”.

Source: WSJ, “Dating App Tinder Faces Sexual Harassment Suit“, Evelyn Rusli, June 30, 2014