SB934: Bill Text

SB934,,17 (a) “Abusive conduct” means conduct, including acts or omissions, by an employer or employee that a reasonable person would find to be abusive on the basis of the severity, nature, and frequency of the conduct. “Abusive conduct” includes repeated infliction of verbal abuse such as derogatory remarks, insults, and epithets; verbal, nonverbal, or physical conduct that is threatening, intimidating, or humiliating; sabotage or undermining of an employee’s work performance; or, as an aggravating factor, exploitation of an employee’s known psychological or physical illness or disability. “Abusive conduct” does not include a single act unless that act is especially severe or egregious.

SB934,,18 (b) “Abusive work environment” means a work environment in which an employer or one or more of its employees, acting with intent to cause pain or distress to an employee, subjects that employee to abusive conduct that causes physical harm or psychological harm to that employee.

SB934,,19 (c) “Adverse employment action” means an action taken by an employer with respect to an employee that has the effect, in whole or in part, of a penalty, including dismissal or suspension from employment, demotion, denial of a promotion, unfavorable transfer or reassignment, reduction in compensation, or denial of increased compensation. “Adverse employment action” also includes a constructive discharge.

SB934,,20 (d) “Aggrieved employee” means an employee who brings an action under sub. (3) alleging that he or she has been injured by an unlawful employment practice.

SB934,,21 (e) “Constructive discharge” means a situation in which an employee resigns from employment because the employee reasonably believes that he or she was subjected to an abusive work environment and, prior to the employee resigning, the employer was aware of the abusive conduct that gave rise to the abusive work environment and the employer failed to stop the abusive conduct.

SB934,,22 (f) Notwithstanding s. 103.001 (5), “employee” means an individual employed by an employer.

SB934,,23 (g) Notwithstanding s. 103.001 (6), “employer” means a person engaging in any activity, enterprise, or business in this state that employs one or more persons on a permanent basis. “Employer” includes the state and any office, department, independent agency, authority, institution, association, society, or other body in state government created or authorized to be created by the constitution or any law, including the legislature and the courts.

SB934,,24 (h) “Physical harm” means the impairment of an individual’s physical health or bodily integrity.

SB934,,25 (i) “Psychological harm” means the impairment of an individual’s mental health.

SB934,,26 (j) “Retaliate” means to take an action that negatively affects the terms, conditions, and privileges of an employee’s employment.

SB934,,27 (k) “Unlawful employment practice” means an unlawful employment practice prohibited under sub. (2) (a) or (b).

SB934,,28 (2) Abusive work environment prohibited. (a) It is an unlawful employment practice for an employer or employee to subject an employee to an abusive work environment.

SB934,,29 (b) It is an unlawful employment practice for an employer or employee to retaliate or threaten to retaliate in any manner against an employee for any of the following reasons:

SB934,,30 1. The employee opposed an unlawful employment practice.

SB934,,31 2. The employee initiated, testified in, assisted in, or in any other manner participated in an investigation, action, or proceeding to enforce a right under this section, including any internal investigation or proceeding, any mediation or arbitration proceeding, or any court action.

SB934,,32 3. The employer believes that the employee engaged in conduct described in subd. 1. or 2.

SB934,,33 (c) The prohibitions under pars. (a) and (b) may be enforced only by a civil cause of action brought under sub. (3).

SB934,,34 (3) Civil action. In addition to any other remedy provided by law, an employee who alleges that he or she has been injured by an unlawful employment practice may bring an action in circuit court against the employer and, if applicable, the employee who allegedly engaged in the unlawful employment practice for any relief under sub. (5) the court considers appropriate. An employee must commence an action under this subsection within one year after the last act constituting the unlawful employment practice occurred or be barred from commencing an action.

SB934,,35 (4) Affirmative defenses. (a) If the alleged unlawful employment practice did not result in an adverse employment action against the aggrieved employee, the employer may plead as an affirmative defense that all of the following are true:

SB934,,36 1. The employer exercised reasonable care to prevent and promptly correct the abusive conduct that is the basis for the aggrieved employee’s cause of action.

SB934,,37 2. The aggrieved employee unreasonably failed to take advantage of appropriate preventive or corrective opportunities the employer provided to prevent or correct the abusive conduct described under subd. 1.

SB934,,38 (b) If the alleged unlawful employment practice resulted in an adverse employment action against the aggrieved employee, the employer may plead as an affirmative defense that the aggrieved employee’s complaint is based on any of the following:

SB934,,39 1. An adverse employment action that was reasonably taken for poor performance or misconduct by the aggrieved employee or for the employer’s economic necessity.

SB934,,40 2. An adverse employment action that was taken in response to a reasonable performance evaluation of the aggrieved employee.

SB934,,41 3. A reasonable investigation of a potentially illegal or unethical activity by the aggrieved employee.

SB934,,42 (c) An employee who is alleged to have engaged in an unlawful employment practice may plead as an affirmative defense that the employee engaged in that practice at the direction of the employer under an actual or implied threat of an adverse employment action against the employee for not engaging in that practice.

SB934,,43 (5) Relief. (a) Subject to par. (b) and sub. (6) (a) 1., if the circuit court finds that an employer or employee has engaged in an unlawful employment practice, the court may enjoin the employer or employee from engaging in that practice and may grant other relief the court considers appropriate, including reinstatement of the aggrieved employee, removal of the person who engaged in the abusive conduct giving rise to the unlawful employment practice from the aggrieved employee’s work area, medical expenses, back pay, front pay, compensation for pain and suffering, compensation for emotional distress, punitive damages under s. 895.043, and, notwithstanding s. 814.04, reasonable costs and attorney fees. If the circuit court orders any payment under this paragraph because of an unlawful employment practice engaged in by an employee, the employer of the employee who engaged in an unlawful employment practice is liable for that payment.

SB934,,44 (b) If an employer is found to have engaged in an unlawful employment practice that did not result in an adverse employment action against the aggrieved employee, the employer is not liable for compensation for emotional distress or punitive damages unless the abusive conduct was extreme and outrageous.

SB934,,45 (6) Effect on other laws. (a) This section does not relieve any person from any duty, liability, or penalty provided by any other law except as follows:

SB934,,46 1. If the worker’s compensation insurer of an employer that is ordered to pay medical expenses under sub. (5) (a) or the department, if the employer is uninsured, has paid or is obligated to pay medical expenses under ch. 102 for an injury arising out of the same underlying behavior as the behavior giving rise to the unlawful employment practice for which the employer is liable, or if the worker’s compensation insurer of an employer that is ordered to pay back pay or front pay under sub. (5) (a) or the department, if the employer is uninsured, has paid or is obligated to pay disability benefits under ch. 102 for such an injury for the same period as back or front pay is awarded under sub. (5) (a), the court shall order the employer to reimburse the insurer or department for the amount of those expenses or benefits paid or payable and to pay to the aggrieved employee any balance of the amount awarded under sub. (5) (a) remaining after that reimbursement.

SB934,,47 2. If a self-insured employer has paid or is obligated to pay medical expenses under ch. 102 for an injury arising out of the same underlying behavior as the behavior giving rise to the unlawful employment practice for which the employer is liable, or a self-insured employer has paid or is obligated to pay disability benefits under ch. 102 for such an injury for the same period as back or front pay is awarded under sub. (5) (a), the court shall reduce the amount awarded under sub. (5) (a) for medical expenses, back pay, or front pay by the amount of those medical expenses or disability benefits that the employer has paid or is obligated to pay under ch. 102 and order the employer to pay to the aggrieved employee any balance of the amount awarded under sub. (5) (a) remaining after that reduction.

SB934,,48 (b) An aggrieved employee who has claimed worker’s compensation or payments under s. 102.81 (1) for an injury arising out of the same underlying behavior as the behavior giving rise to the unlawful employment practice for which the aggrieved employee brings an action under sub. (3) shall provide notice of the action and copies of all papers filed by a party to the action to the employer’s worker’s compensation insurer or, if the employer is uninsured, to the department and shall provide notice of the worker’s compensation proceeding and copies of all papers filed by a party to the proceeding to the court and to all parties to the action.

SB934,7 Section 7. 814.04 (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB934,,50 814.04 Items of costs. (intro.) Except as provided in ss. 93.20, 100.195 (5m) (b), 100.30 (5m), 103.08 (5) (a), 106.50 (6) (i) and (6m) (a), 115.80 (9), 767.553 (4) (d), 769.313, 802.05, 814.245, 895.035 (4), 895.044, 895.443 (3), 895.444 (2), 895.445 (3), 895.446 (3), 895.506, 943.212 (2) (b), 943.245 (2) (d), 943.51 (2) (b), and 995.10 (3), when allowed costs shall be as follows:

SB934,8 Section 8. Initial applicability.

SB934,,52 (1) Abusive work environment. This act first applies to an unlawful employment practice, as defined in s. 103.08 (1) (k), committed on the effective date of this subsection.

SB934,,53 (end)