Skip to main content

Sociological Testimony in Employment- and Education-Related Litigation

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
  • 2399 Accesses

Abstract

Sociological evidence has played an increasingly important role in employment and education litigation in the USA since the early part of the twentieth century. Sociological testimony and consultations can assist attorneys and law firms in various aspects of litigation related to employment, schools, and colleges and universities. Sociologists teach, conduct research, and consult with organizations and policy makers on some of the following aspects of employment and education litigation, including the prevalence and risk factors of workplace and educational problems, offender or criminal profiling, the impact of workplace- and school-related conditions on social, family, educational, and occupational functioning, and the effectiveness of organizational policies, procedures, and prevention activities. This chapter presents research findings in these areas and uses some composite cases to demonstrate how a sociologist can assist defense and plaintiff attorneys and law firms in employment and education litigation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Anderson, M. A., Kaufman, J., Simon, T. R., et al. (2001). School-associated violent deaths in the United States, 1994–1999. Journal of the American Medical Association, 286, 2695–2702.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berry, J. G., Pidd, K., Roche, A. M., & Harrison, J. E. (2007). Prevalence and patterns of alcohol use in the Australian workforce: Findings from the 2001 National Drug Strategy Household Survey. Addiction, 102(9), 1399–1410. Retrieved July 4, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17610539

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Botvin, G. J., Griffin, K. W., Diaz, T., et al. (2001). Drug abuse prevention among minority adolescents: Posttest and one-year follow-up of a school-based preventive intervention. Prevention Science, 2(1), 1–13.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).

    Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008). School-associated homicides – United States, 1992–2006. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 57(02), 33–36. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5702a1.htm

    Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). Youth risk behavior surveillance – United States. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 59(5), 1. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/ss5905.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010). Youth violence. Facts at a glance. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). Health, United States 2011, Child and adolescent health, deaths, death rates, Table 27. Leading causes of deaths and numbers of deaths, by age: United States, 1980 and 2008. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus/child.htm#deaths

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (updated August 20, 2009). Peer victimization linked to youth suicide. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/injury/features/peer_victimization.html

  • Cernkovich, S. A., & Giordano, P. C. (1992). School bonding, race, and delinquency. Criminology, 30(2), 261–291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, J. (1966). Equality of educational opportunity. (Coleman) Study (EEOS). Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR06389.v3

  • Cowan, P., & Morewitz, S. (1995). Encouraging discussion of psychosocial issues at student health visits. Journal of American College Health, 43, 197–200.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dressing, H., Kuehner, C., & Gass, P. (2005). Lifetime prevalence and impact of stalking in a European population. Epidemiological data from a middle-sized German city. British Journal of Psychiatry, 187, 168–172.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ferns, T., & Cork, A. (2008). Managing alcohol related aggression in the emergency department (Part 1). International Emergency Nursing, 16(1), 43–47.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, K., & Kettl, P. (2003). Teachers’ perceptions of school violence. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 17(2), 70–83.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerberich, S. G., Church, T. R., McGovern, P. M., Hansen, H., Nachreiner, N., Geisser, M., et al. (2004). An epidemiological study of the magnitude and consequences of work related violence: The Minnesota Nurses’ Study. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 61, 495–503. Retrieved from http://oem.bmj.com/content/61/6/495.full.pdf+html

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harrell, E. (2011). Workplace violence 1993–2009: National Crime Victimization Survey and the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statics (Special Report: NCJ 233231). Retrieved from http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/wv09.pdf

  • Jenkins, P., & Kroll-Smith, J. S. (1996). Witnessing for sociology. Sociologists in court. Westport, CT: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, L. D., O’Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2012). Monitoring the future National results on adolescent drug use: Overview of key findings, 2011. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan. Retrieved from http://monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/mtf-overview2011.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • Jordan, C. E., Wilcox, P., & Pritchard, A. J. (2007). Stalking acknowledgement and reporting among college women experiencing intrusive behaviors: Implications for the emergence of a “classic stalking case. Journal of Criminal Justice, 35(5), 556–569.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaminski, J. W., & Fang, X. (online July 21, 2009). Victimization by peers and adolescent suicide in three U.S. samples. Journal of Pediatrics, 155(5), 683–688. Retrieved from http://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476%2809%2900466-1/abstract

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimerling, R., Gima, K., Smith, M.W., Street, A., & Frayne, S. (2007). The Veterans Health Administration and military sexual trauma. American Journal of Public Health, 97(12), 2160–2166. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2089100/pdf/0972160.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimerling, R., Street, A. E., Pavao, J., Smith, M. W., Cronkite, R. C., Holmes, T. H., et al. (2010). Military-related sexual trauma among Veterans Health Administration patients returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. American Journal of Public Health, 100(8), 1409–1412.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kwok, R. P., Law, Y. K., Li, K. E., Ng, Y. C., Cheung, M. H., & Fung, V. K. (2006). Prevalence of workplace violence against nurses in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Medical Journal, 12(1), 6–9. Retrieved from http://www.hkmj.org/article_pdfs/hkm0602p6.pdf

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lipscomb, J., Silverstein, B., Slavin, T. J., Cody, E., & Jenkins, L. (2002). Perspectives on legal strategies to prevent workplace violence. Journal of Medical Ethics, 30, 166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, S. L., Ray, N., Sotres-Alvarez, D., Kupper, L. L., Moracco, K. E., Dickens, P. A., et al. (2006). Physical and sexual assault of women with disabilities. Violence Against Women, 12(9), 823–837.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McKenna, B. G., Poole, S. J., Smith, N. A., Coverdale, J. H., & Gale, C. K. (2003). A survey of threats and violent behavior by patients against registered nurses in their first year of practice. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 12(1), 56–63.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miedema, B., Easley, J., Fortin, P., Hamilton, R., & Tatemichi, S. (2009). Disrespect, harassment, and abuse: All in a day’s work for family physicians. Canadian Family Physician, 55(3), 279–285.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Morewitz, S. (1996). Sexual harassment and social change in American society. Lanham, MD: Austin & Winfield, Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morewitz, S. (2003). Stalking and violence. New patterns of trauma and obsession. New York, NY: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morewitz, S. (2008). Death threats and violence. New research and clinical perspectives. New York, NY: Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Muller v. Oregon, 208 U.S. 412 (1908).

    Google Scholar 

  • Myrdal, G. (1944). An American dilemma: The Negro problem and modern democracy. New York: Harper & Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nagata-Kobayashi, S., Maeno, T., Yoshizu, M., & Shimbo, T. (2009). Universal problems during residency: Abuse and harassment. Medical Education, 43(7), 628–636.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • National Institute of Justice. (1998). Stalking and domestic violence. The third annual report to Congress under the Violence Against Women Act. Rockville, MD: National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ovw/172204.pdf

  • Olivan Gonzalvo, G. (2005). What can be done to prevent violence and abuse of children with disabilities? Anales de Pediatría (Barcelona, Spain), 62(6), 153–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pennington, A., Darby, M., Bauman, D., Plichta, S., & Schnuth, M. L. (2000). Sexual harassment in dentistry: Experiences of Virginia dental hygienists. Journal of Dental Hygiene, 74(4), 288–295.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pidd, K., Roche, A. M., & Buisman-Pijlman, F. (September, 2011). Intoxicated workers: Findings from a national Australian survey. Addiction, 106(9), 1623–1633.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pound, R. (1911a). The scope and purpose of sociological jurisprudence, Part I. Harvard Law Review, 24, 591.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pound, R. (1911b). The scope and purpose of sociological jurisprudence, Part II. Harvard Law Review, 25, 140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pound, R. (1912). The scope and purpose of sociological jurisprudence, Part III. Harvard Law Review, 25, 489.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Risk Control Strategies. (2003). Workplace violence survey results. Retrieved from http://www.riskcontrolstrategies.com/workplace_violence_survey.htm

  • Robinson, S. L., & Bennett, R. J. (1995, April). A typology of deviant workplace behaviors: A multidimensional scaling study. The Academy of Management Journal, 38(2), 555–572.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roman, P. W., & Blum, T. C. (2002). The workplace and alcohol problem prevention. Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Retrieved from http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh26-1/49-57.htm

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruff, J. M., Gerding, G., & Hong, O. (2004). Workplace violence against K-12 teachers: Implementation of prevention programs. American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, 52(5), 204–209.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sadler, A. G., Booth, B. M., Cook, B. L., & Doebbeling, B. N. (2003). Factors associated with women’s risk of rape in the military environment. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 43(3), 262–273.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, J. (2010, October 2) Bullying, suicide, punishment. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/03/weekinreview/03schwartz.html?_r=1

  • Shapiro, F. R. (2000). The most cited legal scholars. The Journal of Legal Studies, 29(1), 409–426.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sheridan, L. P., Blaauw, E., & Davies, G. M. (April 2003). Stalking. Knowns and unknowns. Trauma, Violence and Abuse, 4(2), 148–162.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2010). 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Retrieved from http://www.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2k10MH_Findings/2k10MHResult

  • Suris, A., & Lind, L. (2008). Military sexual trauma. A review of prevalence and associated health consequences in veterans. Trauma, Violence and Abuse, 9(4), 250–269.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sygnatur, E. F., & Toscano, G. A. (Spring 2000). Work related homicides: The facts, compensation and working conditions. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/archive/spring2000art1.pdf

  • Tolbert Coombs, A. A., & King, R. K. (2005). Workplace discrimination: experiences of practicing physicians. Journal of the National Medical Association, 97(4), 467–477.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, L. J., Chen, C. K., Sheng, Y. C., Lu, P. W., Chen, Y. T., Chen, H. J., et al. (2012). Workplace sexual harassment in two general hospitals in Taiwan: The incidence, perception, and gender differences. Journal of Occupational Health, 54, 56–63. Retrieved from https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/joh/54/1/54_11-0063-FS/_pdf

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Waxman, B. F. (1991). Hatred: The unacknowledged dimension in violence against disabled people. Sexuality and Disability, 9(13), 185–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weiner, M. S. (2006). Black trials: Citizenship from the beginnings of slavery to the end of caste. New York: Vintage.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephen J. Morewitz Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Morewitz, S.J. (2014). Sociological Testimony in Employment- and Education-Related Litigation. In: Morewitz, S., Goldstein, M. (eds) Handbook of Forensic Sociology and Psychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7178-3_12

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics