Supervisor’s Instagram triggers hostile work environment lawsuit

Once upon a time, the employee’s workplace was entirely separate from their private life. No more. The two now bleed together, resulting in legal trouble for employers.

Male manager targets a female colleague

Lindsay Okonowsky worked as the sole staff psychologist at a federal prison on the West Coast. Lieutenant Steven Hellman supervised the prison guards in her unit.

Hellman created an Instagram account where he made numerous posts of a sexist, racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, and transphobic nature. Many of his posts focused on Okonowsky, including one suggesting that the male guards “gang bang” her. Others degraded her appearance, mocked her for thinking of herself as “cute,” and criticized her job performance. A number of employees at the prison “liked” the posts.

Okonowsky complained. The alleged sampling of responses included the following: