If you need to consult with an attorney regarding any form of harassment, please contact the Erie County Bar Association's Lawyer Referral & Information Service.

Legal Dictionary defines harassment as "the act of regular and/or continued unwanted and annoying actions of one party or a group, including threats and demands. The purposes may vary, including racial prejudice, personal malice, an attempt to force someone to quit a job or grant sexual favors, apply illegal pressure to collect a bill or merely gain sadistic pleasure from making someone anxious or fearful.”

Such activities may be the basis for a lawsuit if they are due to discrimination based on race or sex, a violation of the statutory limitations by collection agencies, revenge sought by an ex-spouse, or are shown to be a form of blackmail ("I'll stop bothering you if you'll sleep with me").

An individual can ask the Court for a restraining order, intended to prevent contact by the offensive party.

Information is current as of 8/2018.