Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 214, § 1C (2026)

Right to freedom from sexual harassment

✓ current as of July 2026

Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section MAmalegislature.gov (official) JustiaChapter on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

Section 1C. A person shall have the right to be free from sexual harassment, as defined in chapter one hundred and fifty-one B and one hundred and fifty-one C. The superior court shall have the jurisdiction to enforce this right and to award the damages and other relief provided in the third paragraph of section 9 of chapter 151B. Any such action shall be commenced in the superior court within the time allowed by said section 9 of said chapter 151B. No claim under this section that is also actionable under chapter 151B or chapter 151C shall be brought in superior court unless a complaint was timely filed with the Massachusetts commission against discrimination under said chapter 151B.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 62 cases (7 in the last 5 years), 1992–2026 · leading case: Lowery v. Klemm, 845 N.E.2d 1124 (Mass. 2006).

Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment

Lowery v. Klemm, 845 N.E.2d 1124 (Mass. 2006). · cites it 33× “This case presents an issue of statutory interpretation: whether G. L. c. 214, § 1C, which states that “[a] person shall have the right to be free from sexual harassment, as defined in” G.”

Green v. Wyman-Gordon Co., 12 I.E.R. Cas. (BNA) 333 (Mass. 1996). · cites it 12× “In April, 1994, Green brought suit against the defendant in the Superior Court, alleging violations of G. L. c. 214, § 1C (1994 ed.), the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act, G.”

Ruffino v. State Street Bank & Trust Co., 908 F. Supp. 1019 (D. Mass. 1995). · cites it 16× “violated the public policy of this Commonwealth as set forth, inter alia, in Mass. Gen.L. c. 214, § 1C, and c. 151B, §§ 1-10.”

Doe v. Fournier, 851 F. Supp. 2d 207 (D. Mass. 2012). · cites it 10× “Count II alleges violations of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 214, § 1C by all Defendants.”

Thurdin v. SEI Boston, LLC, 895 N.E.2d 446 (Mass. 2008). · cites it 4× “” In support of this conclusion, the judge stated that in the case of sexual harassment, the Legislature enacted G. L. c. 214, § 1C, to cover employees working for small firms.”

Lowery v. Klemm, 825 N.E.2d 1065 (Mass. App. Ct. 2005). · cites it 27× “The complaint pleaded a cause of action predicated upon G. L. c. 214, § 1C. 1 That particular law preserves the right of a “person” to be *308 “free from sexual harassment,” and confers jurisdiction on the Superior Court to enforce that right in instances where other…”

Guzman v. Lowinger, 664 N.E.2d 820 (Mass. 1996). · cites it 7× “The plaintiff brought statutory claims under G. L. c. 214, § 1C (1994 ed.), and the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act, G.”

Doe v. Purity Supreme, Inc., 422 Mass. 563 (Mass. 1996). · cites it 3× “The plaintiffs also brought statutory claims under G. L. c. 214, § 1C (1994 ed.), the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act, G.”

Sch. Comm. of Lexington v. Zagaeski, 12 N.E.3d 384 (Mass. 2014). · cites it 4× “151C, § 2 (g) (sexual harassment of student is unfair educational practice); G. L. c. 214, § 1C (granting right to be free from sexual harassment in school); 603 Code Mass.”

Beaupre v. Cliff Smith & Assocs., 738 N.E.2d 753 (Mass. App. Ct. 2000). · cites it 2× “G. L. c. 214, § 1C. Given these authorities, we have no hesitation in stating that our law clearly rejects the defendants’ contention that Smith cannot be held individually liable under c.”

Edsall v. Assumption Coll., 367 F. Supp. 2d 72 (D. Mass. 2005). · cites it 3× “151B, and violation of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 214, § 1C, which provides a right to freedom from sexual harassment; (5) breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing; (6) intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress; (7) race and sex discrimination…”

Chapin v. Univ. of Massachusetts at Lowell, 977 F. Supp. 72 (D. Mass. 1997). · cites it 2× “151B § 4(5)”) (count two); sexual harassment against Parent and Theokas, prohibited by Mass. Gen. L. ch. 214 § 1C (“ch. 214 § 1C”) (count three); violation of her civil rights (presumably under 42 U.”

Show all 62 citing cases →

Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.