Opinion ID: 2139392
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Pikop's claim.

Text: From September 24 to November 25, 1981, Virginia Pikop was employed by Burlington Northern as a seasonal section-crew worker. At various times during this period, her direct supervisor allegedly forced her into his vehicle and coerced her, through threats and promises relating to her employment, to perform sexual acts against her will. Despite her complaints to Burlington Northern officials, Pikop's supervisor allegedly continued to sexually assault her, a pattern that allegedly persisted even after she was no longer employed by the railroad. During the two months in which she was employed at Burlington Northern, Pikop was allegedly subjected to continual harassment by co-employees, who repeatedly called her pig, bitch, and cunt. Several employees allegedly assaulted Pikop during working hours. As a section-crew worker, Pikop was employed in railroad yards, where she often had contact with employees of the railroad's pest control program. Pikop alleges that these employees constantly threatened her with rat carcasses, repeatedly forced her to watch them torture and mutilate rats and birds, and occasionally coerced her to participate in the mutilation and torture. She maintains that railroad supervisors allowed this conduct on the part of her co-employees to take place repeatedly. After Pikop was furloughed from her seasonal position with Burlington Northern, she sought psychiatric counseling. She claims that as a result of the alleged harassment and outrageous conduct on the part of the railroad and its employees, she has suffered serious and permanent emotional injuries. Pikop first brought suit against Burlington Northern and four individual employees in Hennepin County District Court on November 17, 1982, alleging, inter alia, the intentional infliction of emotional distress. In its answer, Burlington Northern argued that the exclusive remedy for Pikop's claims was the FELA. As a result, Pikop voluntarily dismissed, without prejudice, the complaint she filed in state court and brought suit against the railroad and the individual employees in federal district court on December 21, 1982. In addition to her FELA claim, Pikop sought to recover damages under state-law claims of assault, battery, false imprisonment, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. In federal court, Burlington Northern moved for summary judgment. The court granted Burlington Northern's motion on Pikop's claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress, ruling that Pikop's exclusive remedy against the railroad was under the FELA and that the FELA did not recognize an independent cause of action for the intentional infliction of emotional distress. [1] The court allowed those claims that were actionable under the FELA to go to trial. On March 18, 1985, Pikop brought suit against the railroad and three individual railway employees in Hennepin County District Court, alleging, inter alia, the intentional infliction of emotional distress. [2] Thereafter, Burlington Northern moved to have Pikop's claim against it dismissed. On July 11, 1985, the district court ordered entry of judgment in favor of the railroad, ruling that Pikop's claim was preempted by the FELA. Pikop appealed to the court of appeals. Burlington Northern petitioned this court for an accelerated review. We granted the petition on December 13, 1985, and now reverse the district court.