An Amazon employee has accused the company of mishandling her report of an alleged sexual assault, claiming its human resources investigation included questions that made her feel responsible for not doing enough to stop the encounter.

Laura Danbom, who has worked at Amazon since 2017, filed a lawsuit alleging that a senior advertising executive raped her during a work trip to New York City in October 2023. The complaint alleges that Amazon failed to conduct a thorough investigation and later required her to continue working with the man she accused.

According to the lawsuit, investigators asked questions about whether Danbom had yelled 'no', which she described as inappropriate and re-traumatising. The allegations have not been established in court.

The case raises wider questions about how organisations respond to sexual misconduct reports and how trauma can affect a person's reactions during a frightening or threatening experience.

Why Trauma Does Not Always Trigger a Fight-or-Flight Response

People often assume that someone experiencing sexual assault will scream, fight back or attempt to escape. However, the body's response to a threatening situation can vary significantly.

The familiar fight-or-flight response is part of the body's stress reaction, which prepares a person to confront danger or escape it. Other responses may include freezing, becoming unable to speak or feeling disconnected from what is happening.

These responses can occur automatically rather than as conscious decisions. During a threatening experience, a person may freeze, feel unable to speak or struggle to act, even when they recognise that they are in danger.

RAINN, a US-based sexual violence support organisation, notes that survivors may freeze or be unable to fight back during an assault. The absence of physical resistance does not establish consent.

This is why an individual's response should not be judged against assumptions about how someone experiencing trauma ought to behave. No single reaction applies to every survivor, and a person's response cannot, on its own, establish whether an assault occurred.

How Victim-Blaming Questions Can Affect Survivors

Questions about why someone did not scream, fight back or leave can shift attention from the alleged perpetrator's actions to the survivor's behaviour.

For someone reporting sexual violence, this kind of questioning may intensify feelings of shame, self-blame or distress, particularly if they already struggle to understand their own reactions. Repeatedly recounting a traumatic experience can also be emotionally difficult.

In Danbom's case, the lawsuit alleges that Amazon's investigators asked questions that suggested she had not done enough to stop the alleged assault, including challenging her on whether she had yelled 'no'.

The complaint also alleges that Amazon closed its investigation without interviewing witnesses who could corroborate her account. The claims have not been established in court.

RAINN advises people responding to disclosures of sexual violence to listen without judgment, avoid questions that imply blame and allow survivors to decide what support they need. A trauma-informed approach recognises that people may react differently to frightening experiences and seeks to avoid adding unnecessary distress.

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What a Trauma-Informed Workplace Response Looks Like

A trauma-informed response does not mean abandoning an investigation or presuming that every allegation has been proven. It means gathering relevant information while treating the person reporting misconduct with dignity and avoiding assumptions about how a victim should have behaved.

Investigators can ask necessary questions about the sequence of events, communications and available evidence without implying that a person's failure to resist means they consented.

Employers can also consider interim measures to reduce unwanted contact while an investigation is underway, explain confidentiality requirements clearly and communicate how a complaint will be assessed. These steps can help employees understand the process without requiring them to navigate an uncertain workplace environment alone.

Danbom's lawsuit alleges that Amazon instructed her not to discuss the incident at work and required her to continue communicating with the executive she accused. She said this prevented her from warning other women who might encounter him at professional events.

Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company takes allegations of workplace sexual misconduct seriously and has zero tolerance for misconduct or violence. The company said it thoroughly investigates reports and takes appropriate action when employees are found to have violated its policies. Amazon declined to provide further details because litigation is pending.

The Importance of Taking Sexual Misconduct Reports Seriously

Danbom has alleged that the incident and the company's response affected her career, ultimately leading her to accept a lateral transfer rather than pursue a promotion that would have required her to work with the executive.

Her lawsuit seeks compensation for lost wages, bonuses and employment benefits, among other claims. The allegations remain subject to the legal process.

The case highlights why understanding trauma matters beyond clinical settings. When people report sexual violence, assumptions about whether they fought back or shouted can obscure the more important questions of consent, evidence and accountability.

A person's reaction during a frightening experience is not a reliable measure of whether they wanted it to happen. Responding with care, asking relevant questions without blame and conducting a fair investigation can help organisations address allegations while treating the people involved with dignity.

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