Do I need a Harassment Lawyer?
Harassment is a broad term that covers a wide range of offensive behaviors. The term is commonly understood as actions intended to upset or disturb that are characteristically habitual or repetitive. In the legal sense, harassment is an intentional behavior that is found disturbing or threatening. Harassment can take place through any form of communication, including: online messaging, contact through social networking, e-mails, phone calls, trespassing or through spoken/physical interaction.
If you feel like you are a victim of harassment, in any form, you should contact a harassment lawyer so that your options and legal rights can be explained. No individual should live in fear of harassment; there are steps to take to curb incessant obstructions like harassment. Consulting with a harassment lawyer is the first step to quell your problem.
Although there are a number of types of harassment, you should understand the legal issues associated with the activity before you contact a harassment lawyer. For starters, if you are being harassed over the telephone, having a basic knowledge of the surrounding laws will help streamline your legal case.
Understanding Telephone Harassment:
Harassing phone calls represent an unwelcome intrusion on your privacy; the Federal Communications Act and an assortment of state laws prohibit all forms of telephone harassment. If you are a victim of telephone harassment, contact a harassment lawyer in your area to put an end to the aggressive party’s intrusive actions.
You should contact harassment lawyers when an entity intends to annoy, harass or threaten you by:
• If an entity or individual perpetually makes your telephone ring
• The aggressor makes lewd, indecent or obscene comments
• The aggressor offers suggestions or unwanted requests over the telephone
• The aggressor does not identify himself
• The aggressor makes repeated calls where the conversation consists of only harassment
Although one unwelcoming call may be deemed harassment, a single instance will not require the service of a harassment lawyer. Individuals who commit telephone harassment will be subject to fines, prison or both. Telephone harassment laws vary by state; in the majority of jurisdictions, telephone harassment is a criminal misdemeanor.
In addition to evaluating the above instances, you should consider the following variables when determining the need of harassment lawyers:
• What time are the calls made?
• How frequent do you receive the calls?
• Do the calls include lewd or obscene language?
• Do the calls include threats?
What should I do if I am Receive Harassing Phone Calls?
If you are receiving harassing phone calls, you should first contact your local police department. Before you contact the authorities, make a note of the gender of the caller, the caller’s number, his or her frequency, a description of the caller’s voice, the date and time of the calls, the context of the calls and an approximation of the caller’s age. If the police, using this information, can track down the caller, they will enforce their authority and persecute the individual. If you seek monetary compensation–for the stress and psychological damage imposed–from the party you should look into harassment lawyers.
In addition to the local police, your phone company may assist in tracking down the harasser. Phone companies possess different policies regarding the course of action for investigating harassing phone callers. Because of this diversity, you should contact a harassment lawyer or your phone company to elucidate on the investigation process.
Aside from helping with the investigation process, harassment lawyers can elucidate on what actions constitute the basis for a legal claim. You should contact a harassment lawyer to help determine if the harasser’s actions or words are obscene or otherwise illegal. Harassment lawyers can also tell you if you are entitled to receive any civil damages for the emotional distress displaced by the harassing caller.
Harassment lawyers may also be able to initiate a legal action so the caller is legally restricted from contacting you. These types of restraining orders legally impose the individual from engaging in any form of communication with you. If the harasser attempts to contact you while under the restraining order, further sanctions will be applied to the individual.
What Questions Should I ask my Harassment Lawyer:
If you are debating the inclusion of a harassment lawyer, you should ask the legal professional the following questions to help determine the need or want for legal action:
• Should I block the harassing calls?
• Can I file charges against individuals who leaving vulgar or threatening voice mails on my cell phone?
• How do I stop the harasser from making these calls?
• Am I entitled to a monetary settlement?
• How do I prove that the harasser caused me emotional stress?
• What are the court and legal fees associated with a prospective claim?
Other forms of Harassment that may necessitate the hiring of a Harassment Lawyer:
As stated above, there are multiple forms of harassment. The following list represents some of the more common forms that may require the inclusion of a harassment lawyer. If you are a victim of these forms of harassment, it is suggested that you contact a harassment lawyer in your area to help elucidate the surrounding laws and your coordinating rights; this explanation will ultimately determine your ability to file a suit against the aggressive party:
– Bullying: This type of harassment typically occurs in school or work settings. Bullying involves physical and psychological harassment against an individual or group of individuals.
– Psychological Harassment: Refers to any action that intends to intimidate abuse or humiliate someone. Psychological harassment can take the form of episodes of intimidation, verbal comments, aggressive actions or repeated gestures.
– Harassment that is based on religion, race or sexuality
– Stalking: Refers to the unauthorized following and surveillance of an individual, to the extreme extent that the target’s privacy is intruded upon.
