Opinion ID: 3000113
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Offensive Harassment

Text: To prove that her work environment was hostile, Kampmier must demonstrate that it was both objectively and subjectively offensive. Rhodes v. Ill. Dep’t of Transp., 359 F.3d 498, 505 (7th Cir. 2004). Courts look to several factors to determine whether alleged harassment is objectively offensive, including the frequency of the 16 No. 06-1788 conduct; its severity; whether it was physically threatening or humiliating, or a mere offensive utterance; and whether it unreasonably interfered with the alleged victim’s work performance. Hostetler v. Quality Dining, Inc., 218 F.3d 798, 806-07 (7th Cir. 2000). The “occasional vulgar banter, tinged with sexual innuendo of coarse or boorish workers” generally does not create a work environment that a reasonable person would find intolerable. Baskerville v. Culligan Int’l Co., 50 F.3d 428, 430 (7th Cir. 1995). This Court has on many occasions distinguished between harassing and merely objectionable conduct. See, e.g., Hilt-Dyson v. City of Chi., 282 F.3d 456, 463-64 (7th Cir. 2002) (holding that plaintiff ’s allegations that a supervisor rubbed her back, squeezed her shoulder and stared at her chest during a uniform inspection while telling her to raise her arms and open her blazer were isolated incidents that, even when taken together, did not create a sufficient inference of a hostile work environment); Patt v. Family Health Sys., Inc., 280 F.3d 749, 754 (7th Cir. 2002) (holding that plaintiff ’s complaints of eight gender-related comments during the course of her employment, including that “the only valuable thing to a woman is that she has breasts and a vagina,” was insufficient to demonstrate a hostile work environment); Adusumilli v. City of Chi., 164 F.3d 353, 361-62 (7th Cir. 1998) (holding that plaintiff ’s complaints of teasing; ambiguous comments about bananas, rubber bands, and low-neck tops; staring and attempts to make eye contact; and four isolated incidents where a co-worker briefly touched her arm, fingers, or buttocks did not constitute sexual harassment). In short, minor or isolated incidents are generally insufficient to rise to the level of objectively offensive conduct. By contrast, sustained physical contact can raise otherwise merely objectionable conduct to the level of objectively No. 06-1788 17 offensive conduct. For instance, in King v. Board of Regents of University of Wisconsin System, 898 F.2d 533, 535 (7th Cir. 1990), this Court concluded that the defendant’s conduct rose to an objectionable level when he followed the plaintiff into a bathroom at an office holiday party, telling her that he “had to have her” and that “he would have her.” Despite the plaintiffs protests, the defendant forcibly kissed and fondled her, stopping when the plaintiff ’s boyfriend came into the bathroom. Id. Similarly, in Gentry v. Export Packaging, Co, 238 F.3d 842 (2001), this Court held that the defendant’s constant physical contact with the plaintiff to be objectively offensive. In that case, the defendant invited the plaintiff implicitly to have sex with him and showed her arguably “off color” pictures. Moreover, the defendant hugged the plaintiff “with two-armed embraces” almost every other working day for two months. Id. at 850-51. Here, Kampmier estimated that during her employment at the Loyalton, Badell hugged her fifty to sixty times, jumped in her lap ten times, touched her buttocks thirty times, and made the comment that she could turn any woman gay ten to twelve times. Kampmier also alleged that Badell stated that she “make[s] Carol (her girlfriend) come every night within the first five minutes” and also commented that she could perform the same act on Kampmier. Based on the sustained nature of the physical contact, combined with Badell’s sexually explicit remarks, a jury reasonably could find Badell’s comments and her physical contact with Kampmier objectively offensive. It is not enough for Kampmier to establish the objectively offensive nature of Badell’s harassment; she must also raise a genuine issue of material fact that the harassment was subjectively offensive. Rhodes, 359 F.3d at 505. The district court held that “the undisputed overwhelming evidence established that Kampmier did not perceive her work environment to be hostile until after she 18 No. 06-1788 received her termination letter in early September.” Kampmier v. Emeritus Assisted Living, et al., No. 04 C 50399, slip op. at 2 (N.D. Ill. Feb. 15, 2006). The parties agree that Kampmier allowed Badell’s lover to babysit her daughter in Badell’s home, visited Badell in the hospital after Badell’s surgery, gave Badell a card, spent time with Badell’s son, and on at least one occasion provided medical assistance to Badell’s mother. This evidence seems to belie Kampmier’s claim that she felt harassed by Badell. Nonetheless, Kampmier did complain to three different supervisors as required by Emeritus’ attendance policy. She repeatedly told Badell to “knock it off ” when Badell engaged in the alleged harassment. When Badell did not stop her behavior, Kampmier complained to Grover. Finally, after Grover left (apparently because of Badell’s behavior), Kampmier complained to Stine, Grover’s replacement. In Gentry, this Court held that the plaintiff provided sufficient evidence that the alleged harassment was subjectively offensive, where the plaintiff found it hard to concentrate on her work because of the defendant’s actions. She hated her job and often cried when she went to work. A coworker saw or heard the plaintiff cry on several different occasions. The plaintiff also sought medical care and was treated for anxiety and depression caused by the oppressive workplace environment. 238 F.3d at 851. While Kampmier has not offered evidence that she cried before coming to work or sought medical care, the Supreme Court has emphasized that “Title VII comes into play before the harassing conduct leads to a nervous breakdown.” Harris v. Forklift Sys., Inc., 510 U.S. 17, 22 (1993). Kampmier’s repeated complaints regarding Badell’s harassment are sufficient to raise a genuine issue of material fact as to whether she found Badell’s harassment subjectively offensive. No. 06-1788 19