Law Office of Brett A. Podolsky - Criminal Defense Attorney
Originally posted on July 20, 2016. Updated May 2024 to reflect current information. Sexual harassment is a serious issue that can have severe consequences. Whether it happens in the workplace, at school, or in a public place, certain offensive behaviors may lead to civil penalties and lawsuits. However, in some instances, sexual harassment can also […]
Due to a new state law that took effect last September, Texas treats sexual harassment claims differently from other types of harassment or discrimination claims, such as racial or ageism.
One of the many new laws to hit the books on September 1, 2019, was HB 2789, informally known as the “unsolicited sexual content law.” It is an amendment to Texas Penal Code Chapter 21, Sexual Offenses. The added section to the code is formally entitled “Unlawful Transmission of Sexually Explicit Visual Material.” In simpler […]
Texas Penal Code Section 43.21 targets obscenity and defines “obscene material” as material that an average person, in the application of “contemporary community standards,” would take, as a whole, appealing to an excessive interest in sexual matters. The law says it may also concern descriptions and/or representations of sexual acts, simulated sexual acts, sodomy, lewd […]
Understanding the consequences of harassment charges in Texas involves addressing several other questions. A harassment charge is usually considered a misdemeanor offense, but this classification doesn’t mean that a harassment charge isn’t serious. A harassment charge does not punish the actor’s conduct. Instead, it punishes specific kinds of annoying or alarming communications. If you or […]