Unwelcome behavior can become a legal wrong when it crosses defined lines. Harassment is conduct that demeans, intimidates, or offends a person based on protected characteristics or in ways that create a hostile environment, as defined by statute or case law.

In employment, harassment claims often allege severe or pervasive conduct that alters working conditions. Sexual harassment may involve quid pro quo demands or hostile-environment behavior. Outside the workplace, stalking and protective-order statutes address repeated threatening conduct. Context, frequency, and severity all matter.

Employers and schools adopt policies, training, and complaint procedures to prevent and correct harassment. Victims may seek administrative remedies or sue for damages and injunctive relief. Distinguishing protected speech from unlawful harassment remains a recurring judicial task.

• Unwelcome conduct creating legal liability in defined settings
• Includes hostile-environment and quid pro quo forms
• Regulated especially in employment and education
• Remedied through policy, agencies, and courts