Court rules workplace groping for 'humour' legal in sexual harassment trial

A court has ruled that touching female co-workers is not cause for sexual harassment lawsuits, if caused by an “inappropriate sense of humour.”

An Italian court in Palermo has acquitted a man from sexual harassment charges despite acknowledging that the 65-year-old business leader groped his female employees, Reuters reports.

One female employee claimed that the man had touched her sexually. Another accused the 65-year-old of having treated her like a child by giving her “a light slap on the behind.”

The court argued that, while the man had touched colleagues in an inappropriate way, his actions were not illegal as they were not motivated by sexual desire.