• Sexual harassment quid pro quo (“this for that”) situations typically involve someone with authority victimizing an employee.

Quid pro quo involves submission to sexually harassing conduct as a condition of employment. It also may involve submission to or rejection of harassing conduct when it is used as the basis for an employment decision. This type of harassment often results in some form (or threat) of economic loss where, for example, an employee is passed up for promotion because the person rejected a supervisor’s advances.

This behavior does not have to be explicit — it is enough if it is implied through the words or conduct of the aggressor.

A sexual harassment claim may proceed even if the victim submitted to the advances, as long as the advances were unwanted, and the submission was not voluntary.

A quid pro quo (“this for that”) situation is created when:

• Employment decisions are contingent on putting up with sexual harassment or providing sexual favors, and/or
• The quid pro quo harasser is typically someone with authority.