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524US2

Unit: U100

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782

FARAGHER v. BOCA RATON

Opinion of the Court

Id., at 1560.

ager addressed to all employees.
In May
1990, the City revised the policy and reissued a statement of
it.
Ibid. Although the City may actually have circulated
the memos and statements to some employees, it completely
failed to disseminate its policy among employees of the Ma-
rine Safety Section, with the result that Terry, Silverman,
Gordon, and many lifeguards were unaware of it.

Ibid.

From time to time over the course of Faragher’s tenure at
the Marine Safety Section, between 4 and 6 of the 40 to 50
lifeguards were women.
Id., at 1556. During that 5-year
period, Terry repeatedly touched the bodies of female em-
ployees without invitation, ibid., would put his arm around
Faragher, with his hand on her buttocks, id., at 1557, and
once made contact with another female lifeguard in a motion
of sexual simulation, id., at 1556. He made crudely demean-
ing references to women generally, id., at 1557, and once
commented disparagingly on Faragher’s shape, ibid. Dur-
ing a job interview with a woman he hired as a lifeguard,
Terry said that the female lifeguards had sex with their male
counterparts and asked whether she would do the same.
Ibid.

Silverman behaved in similar ways. He once tackled Far-
agher and remarked that, but for a physical characteristic he
found unattractive, he would readily have had sexual rela-
Ibid. Another time, he pantomimed an act
tions with her.
of oral sex.
Ibid. Within earshot of the female lifeguards,
Silverman made frequent, vulgar references to women and
sexual matters, commented on the bodies of female life-
guards and beachgoers, and at least twice told female life-
guards that he would like to engage in sex with them.
Id.,
at 1557–1558.

Faragher did not complain to higher management about
Terry or Silverman. Although she spoke of their behavior
to Gordon, she did not regard these discussions as formal
complaints to a supervisor but as conversations with a per-
Id., at 1559. Other female
son she held in high esteem.