Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services, Inc.

523 U.S. 75 (1998)

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Nature of the Case

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Facts

P was working for D on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. P was employed as a roust about on an eight-man crew which included John Lyons (D), Danny Pippen (D), and Brandon Johnson (D). On several occasions, P was forcibly subjected to sex-related, humiliating actions against him by Lyons, Pippen, and Johnson in the presence of the rest of the crew. Pippen and Lyons also physically assaulted P in a sexual manner, and Lyons threatened him with rape. P complained to supervisors but no remedial action; in fact, the company's Safety Compliance Clerk, Valent Hohen, told P that Lyons and Pippen 'picked [on] him all the time too,' and called him a name suggesting homosexuality. P quit -- asking that his pink slip reflect that he 'voluntarily left due to sexual harassment and verbal abuse.' P stated, 'I felt that if I didn't leave my job, that I would be raped or forced to have sex.' P sued Ds alleging that he was discriminated against in his employment because of his sex. The district court held [that 'P, a male, has no cause of action under Title VII for harassment by male co-workers.' The Fifth Circuit affirmed. P appealed.