Opinion ID: 200973
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Spencer Press's Challenge to the Jury Instructions on the Severe or Pervasive Requirement

Text: 35 Spencer Press argues that the district court erred in its explanation to the jury of the requirement that the harassment be severe or pervasive. Spencer Press preserved the objection. 36 The district court instructed the jury that, to succeed on his harassment claim, Johnson must show: 37 that the harassment was sufficiently severe or pervasive so as to alter the conditions of his employment and create an abusive working environment.... 38 Religiously discriminatory remarks, innuendos, ridicule, and intimidation can be sufficiently severe or pervasive in their accumulated effect to alter the conditions of employment and create an abusive working environment. But offhand comments, rudeness, occasional teasing and isolated incidents are not alone sufficient. This is not a general civility code for the workplace. 39 Spencer Press's argument is that this instruction was flawed because it did not include a statement that the conduct must be extreme. This argument is premised on the Supreme Court's statement in Faragher that conduct must be extreme to amount to a change in the terms and conditions of employment. 524 U.S. at 788, 118 S.Ct. 2275 (emphasis added). 40 We review the district court's choice of language in instructing the jury for an abuse of discretion. Gray v. Genlyte Group, Inc., 289 F.3d 128, 133 (1st Cir.2002). The district court did not abuse its discretion in omitting the word extreme from its instructions to the jury. It is the district court's prerogative to craft the particular verbiage that it will use in its jury instructions. Febres v. Challenger Caribbean Corp., 214 F.3d 57, 62 (1st Cir.2000). So long as that language properly explains the controlling legal standards and is not unduly confusing or misleading, it will not be second-guessed on appeal. See id.; Brown v. Trustees of Boston Univ., 891 F.2d 337, 353 (1st Cir.1989); see also Webster's Third New International Dictionary 807 (1993) (one definition of extreme is marked by great severity). There is no requirement that the word extreme be used in instructing the jury on a harassment claim.