Martin v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review

**What Happened** Sandra Martin worked for the Community Action Agency of Delaware County and claimed she was sexually harassed by a coworker. Instead of reporting the harassment to her employer, Martin quit her job and applied for unemployment benefits. She argued that the sexual harassment made her working conditions so unbearable that she had no choice but to resign (called "constructive discharge"). The unemployment office initially denied her benefits, but she appealed the decision. **What the Court Decided** The court ruled against Martin and upheld the denial of her unemployment benefits. The court found that Martin failed to give her employer a chance to address the sexual harassment problem before she quit. Because she didn't report the harassment internally first, the court determined that her resignation wasn't for a "necessitous and compelling" reason that would qualify her for unemployment benefits. **Why This Matters for Workers** This case shows that workers who experience sexual harassment should report it to their employer before quitting if they want to protect their right to unemployment benefits. Simply quitting due to harassment without giving the employer an opportunity to investigate and fix the problem may disqualify you from receiving unemployment compensation, even if the harassment was real and serious.