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FARAGHER v. BOCA RATON

Opinion of the Court

(1996). Although the panel had “no trouble concluding that
Terry’s and Silverman’s conduct . . . was severe and perva-
sive enough to create an objectively abusive work environ-
ment,” id., at 1162, it overturned the District Court’s conclu-
sion that the City was liable. The panel ruled that Terry
and Silverman were not acting within the scope of their em-
ployment when they engaged in the harassment, id., at 1166,
that they were not aided in their actions by the agency rela-
tionship, id., at 1166, n. 14, and that the City had no construc-
tive knowledge of the harassment by virtue of its pervasive-
ness or Gordon’s actual knowledge, id., at 1167, and n. 16.
In a 7-to-5 decision, the full Court of Appeals, sitting en
111 F. 3d 1530 (1997).
banc, adopted the panel’s conclusion.
Relying on our decision in Meritor Savings Bank, FSB v.
Vinson, 477 U. S. 57 (1986), and on the Restatement (Second)
of Agency § 219 (1957) (hereinafter Restatement), the court
held that “an employer may be indirectly liable for hostile
environment sexual harassment by a superior: (1) if the har-
assment occurs within the scope of the superior’s employ-
ment; (2) if the employer assigns performance of a nondele-
gable duty to a supervisor and an employee is injured
because of the supervisor’s failure to carry out that duty; or
(3) if there is an agency relationship which aids the supervi-
sor’s ability or opportunity to harass his subordinate.” 111
F. 3d, at 1534–1535.

Applying these principles, the court rejected Faragher’s
Title VII claim against the City. First, invoking standard
agency language to classify the harassment by each supervi-
sor as a “frolic” unrelated to his authorized tasks, the court
found that in harassing Faragher, Terry and Silverman were
acting outside of the scope of their employment and solely to
Id., at 1536–1537. Next,
further their own personal ends.
the court determined that the supervisors’ agency relation-
ship with the City did not assist them in perpetrating their
harassment.
Id., at 1537. Though noting that “a supervi-
sor is always aided in accomplishing hostile environment sex-