California Man Sued
For Saying "Hi" to Co-Worker

Casual workplace greetings may be a thing of the past if certain pending cases yield lucrative settlements.

By George Wolfe

VENICE – A man who made a passing comment of "Hi" to a female co-worker is now being sued for $60,000. The woman's lawyer says her client is seeking psychological damages for "sexual harassment."

Oscar McGaffey, who made the remark, commented outside the courthouse, "I thought it was just an innocent remark. I swear it wasn't said in a sleazy way or anything. I don't even usually say anything to anyone at work. Maybe it just took her by surprise. It just happened to come out. Jeez. I’m really sorry."

The woman, Trudy Butler, could not be reached for comment, however, her lawyer, Samantha Pimento, gave a short statement and fielded questions from reporters. "When a woman comes to work, she wants a neutral environment where she doesn't have to be harassed by men. We're not just fighting for Ms. Butler, we're fighting for a law to protect all women from such regrettable and ugly instances. As a matter of fact, these things happen on a daily basis all across America. So mark my words: This is just the tip of the iceberg."

— Samantha Butler, the plaintiff's lawyer

The controversial case underscores the difficulty of harassment suits, as jurors in this case will be asked to set the bar for proper speech in the workplace. For example, could a lesbian be held liable for ambiguous greetings made toward another woman, whether or not that other woman was lesbian? And what about greetings from one heterosexual woman to another heterosexual co-worker woman?

Still, Pimento and her client seem bent on pushing the issue as far as possible, noting that, "This is about freedom, about a woman's body – and choice. I won't stop until all women in their respective workplaces can be assured that they won't so much as be looked at."

Meanwhile, McGaffey still seems perplexed. "I even have to watch my mouth around my own wife now! If I don’t greet her in an appropriate way, what’s to stop her from suing me?! From now on, mums the word."