Court Opinion

ID: 9494390
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 15:36:59.458383+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:56:23.447259
License: Public Domain

RALPH'B. GUY, JR., Circuit Judge,
concurring in part and dissenting in part.1
I concur in that portion of the lead opinion affirming the judgment as a matter of law on the Woods claim. I would, however, reverse the judgment in favor of Carlton.
Although I disagree with the conclusion of the dissent, I cannot say the result reached is a wholly illogical extension of our prior case law. It is an extension, however, and one that goes beyond where I believe the Supreme Court has drawn the line. My view is informed by my reading of the Supreme Court’s decision in Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services., Inc., 523 U.S. 75, 118 S.Ct. 998, 140 L.Ed.2d 201 (1998), notwithstanding that this case is also cited by the dissent in support of the decision it reaches.
As the dissenting opinion indicates, this is a same-sex sexual harassment case. The first case in our circuit to definitively state that a same-sex sexual harassment claim is actionable was Yeary v. Goodwill Industries-Knoxville, Inc., 107 F.3d 443 (6th Cir.1997). Since Yeary was decided before Oncale, the court did not have the benefit of that decision. Briefly stated, Yeary involved a workplace scenario in which the plaintiff was sexually harassed by a homosexual coworker. The harassment consisted of direct propositioning of the plaintiff for sex, a host of obscene and vulgar comments, and a considerable amount of inappropriate and offensive touching. In reaching the decision that this type of conduct was actionable under Title VII, the court first reviewed the relevant case law from other circuits. It noted that the circuits were not in agreement on the issue of whether same-sex harassment was actionable, and further there was disagreement as to the type of same-sex conduct that would support an action. The court decided that the majority of circuits would allow predatory homosexual conduct to ground a Title VII claim. The court concluded its opinion, however, by stating:
It is not necessary for this court to decide today whether same-sex sexual harassment can be actionable only when the harasser is a homosexual; all that is necessary for us to observe is that when a male sexually propositions another male because of sexual attraction, there can be little question that the behavior is a form of harassment that occurs because the propositioned male is a male— that is, “because of ... sex.”
We think the district court correctly concluded that the plaintiff has made out an actionable claim under Title VII.
Id. at 448 (emphasis in original).
Since the conduct complained of in many of these sexual harassment cases is so offensive, it is easy to understand that a sense of decency initially inclines one to want to grant relief. It is easy to forget, however, that Title VII deals with discrimination in the workplace, not morality or vulgarity. When Title VII was amended to encompass discrimination predicated on sex, the primary focus was on protecting women in the workplace from male supervisors and coworkers treating them differently because of their gender. If the word “gender” had been used instead of “sex,” some of the confusion that exists today probably would have *520never developed. The clock can’t be turned back, however, and there is no doubt that the statute protects men as well as women from gender discrimination. It also protects, under certain circumstances, workers from predatory conduct carried out by persons who are of the same sex as the person being “discriminated” against. Note the use of the word “discriminated” as opposed to “harassed.” Although certain types of harassment may result in actionable discrimination, Title VII is not a generic anti-harassment statute. This distinction becomes important in hostile work environment cases. It is easy to see that a racially hostile work environment is generally actionable. It does not follow, however, that every “sexually” hostile work environment will ground a Title VII claim. In fact, if the environment is just sexually hostile without an element of gender discrimination, it is not actionable. Stated another way, and with apologies to Mother Goose:
Georgie Porgie pudding and pie
Goosed the men and made them cry
Upon the women he laid no hand
So it cost his employer 300 grand.
Substitute Louis Davis for Georgie Porgie and you have this case. Although the law does not always follow the dictates of common sense, it is hard for me to come to grips with the fact that if Davis had been an equal opportunity gooser, there would be no cause of action here.2 Yet, that is the fact. In order to make this fact situation fit within the framework for actionable cases, the EEOC and the dissent had to declare that this was a mixed-sex workplace. Never mind that all members of the large, male work force worked out in the field while the total of three female workers were in an office and had no contact with Mr. Davis. Apparently it would have made no difference if the three women worked in another state in the face of Mr. Davis’s self-righteous proclamation that: “Of course I didn’t do that to women. What kind of a guy do you think I am?”— or words to that effect. For Mr. Davis, chivalry was alive and well. For his employer, better that he were a cad.
The whole issue of a mixed-sex workplace became confused before the jury ever received this case for deliberations.3 When defense counsel objected to the court’s proposed instructions on the definition of “sexual harassment” particularly as it related to whether this was a mixed-sex workplace, the trial judge stated:
THE COURT: No. I’m not going to grant that, because we’re not going to get into whether this was or was not a mixed workplace. I mean, there were women at the plant.
In addition, it is clear from the jury instruction conference as well as the instructions actually given that the trial judge felt it made no difference whether this was a mixed-sex workplace or not.4 Although that may be true in some situations, it is not the theory under which this case proceeded. The instructions reflect the analytical error made by the trial judge-the same analytical error made by the dissent. The instructions the jury received started out by describing the plaintiffs’ claim as follows:
The plaintiffs claim that Joseph Carlton, Cedric Woods, Terry Dotson, and *521William Doyle were sexually harassed by the defendant.... Sexual harassment is discrimination on the basis of sex prohibited by Section 703, Title 7, of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Not only is the claim not described as one for gender discrimination, but the instructions tell the jurors at the outset that “sexual harassment is discrimination” that amounts to a violation of Title VII. Throughout the instructions this error is compounded. For example, the instructions later state: “An employer has a duty to take prompt and effective action to remedy complaints of sexual harassment.” Although an employer may have some type of general duty, a failure to remedy complaints of sexual harassment that doesn’t rise to the level of gender discrimination is not actionable under Title VII. The error is in concluding that all harassment of a sexual nature amounts, ipso facto, to gender discrimination.
Later, the instructions tell the jury that: Where the harasser and the victim are both male there is an inference of discrimination because of sex when the harasser subjects only male employees to offensive or objectionable conduct of a sexual nature or the conduct is so sex specific and derogatory that the harasser is clearly motivated by a general hostility to men in the workplace.
Since there is no claim that Davis was “motivated by a general hostility to men in the workplace,” I turn my attention to only the first part of this instruction. Again, it is clear that “gender” and “sex” are being conflated. First of all, if the harassment is specifically directed at men and not women, it doesn’t have to be of a sexual nature. The harassment, for example, could be verbal and not involve sexual terms or innuendoes at all. Second, the jury is not being told at this point that the male-on-male harassment of the type involved in this case is only actionable under Title VII in a mixed-sex workplace. The element of gender discrimination is missing or at best obscured. The verdict form given to the jury only compounded the problem. The only substantive question the jury was asked was: “[h]as Plaintiff Joe Carlton proved by a preponderance of the evidence that Defendant subjected him to sexual harassment?” If the jury answered “yes” to that question, which it did, the form directed them to then proceed directly to assess damages.5
Shepherd v. Slater Steels Corp., 168 F.3d 998 (7th Cir.1999), is a good example of the analytical gymnastics in which a court will engage in order to contort sexually offensive conduct in the workplace into gender discrimination. In Shepherd, the sexually offensive conduct directed at the male plaintiff by one of his male coworkers was gross beyond imagination. The coworker, however, as part of his regular offensive sexual behavior, also exposed himself to at least one of the female workers. On the basis of this fact, the district court granted summary judgment to the defendant. The court of appeals reversed in a split decision, in effect holding that because there was more “flashing” of males than females, it qualified as discrimination. If Shepherd’s coworker had been sexually offensive to more females, there would have been no cause of action — a holding that can hardly be thought to make females in *522that workforce very happy. Apparently we now have a quantitative component to the analysis. In order to escape liability, the harasser must be careful to be offensive in equal parts to all. That should make for some interesting workplace notices posted by employers: “We do not tolerate sexual harassment; but if you must, make sure you are equally gross with both sexes.”
What went on in the case at bar was gross, vulgar, male horseplay in a male workplace. It was the classic example of men behaving badly. I do not mean in any way to make light of Mr. Carlton’s plight, but he had other remedies. Everything from a union grievance to a criminal complaint and a civil action for assault and battery. With a state civil action, the employer could still be a defendant and could have been liable under these fácts for the actions of its agents and employees, particularly when those actions had been brought to the employer’s attention. Mr. Carlton still could have found the goose that laid the golden egg without distorting the offensive sexual conduct into a civil rights violation. The issue is not “no wrong without a remedy.” The issue is how far Congress can go or, more accurately, has gone to regulate conduct in the workplace. This brings me back to On-cale. Mr. Oncale quit his job because he thought he “would be raped or forced to have sex.” The harasser was a homosexual.6 Because this was the fact, it was easy to conclude the harasser would not have been predatory toward females. The Court goes on to state, however, that “harassing conduct need not be motivated by sexual desire to support an inference of discrimination on the basis of sex.” On-cale, 523 U.S. at 80, 118 S.Ct. 998. The Court then offers an example that sheds some light:
A trier of fact might reasonably find such discrimination, for example, if a female victim is harassed in such sex-specific and derogatory terms by another woman as to make it clear that the harasser is motivated by general hostility to the presence of women in the workplace.
Id. This certainly was not the case with Mr. Davis. He liked nothing better than to have men in the workplace. If not, who else would he roughhouse with?
Finally, in Oncale the court concludes with this most important pronouncement:
Whatever evidentiary route the plaintiff chooses to follow, he or she must always prove that the conduct at issue was not merely tinged with offensive sexual connotations, but actually constituted “dis-crimina[tionJ because of sex.”
Id. at 81 (ellipses omitted). I do not feel that the plaintiff has sustained this burden, nor indeed could he under these facts.
Same-sex sexual harassment cases of this nature present a slippery slope, and this case either goes over the edge or comes so close to it that a line needs to be drawn. If not, what’s next — towel snapping in the locker room?
*523I would reverse the denial of judgment as a matter of law with respect to Carlton’s sexual harassment claim.7

. Since Judge Norris has concurred in this opinion, it becomes the opinion of the court with respect to Carlton’s claim.

.It is not disputed that this is a correct statement of the law. It is not as the dissent implies a concession on my part. Rather, this principle is cited to show why the EEOC had to proceed in this case under a mixed-sex workplace theory.

. Instructional error was raised on appeal.

. See J.A. at 496.

. Although the jury instructions did not properly convey what the jury needed to find, the jury did a rather remarkable job of almost getting it right. They found no cause of action except as to two plaintiffs, and only awarded them $1.00 each in compensatory damages. The punitive damages, if considered apart from the question of whether the plaintiff should have prevailed at all, are understandable since the employer did a very poor job of trying to correct a bad workplace situation of which it had knowledge.

. Contrary to the dissent's suggestion, I am not implying the harasser has to be a homosexual. When the harasser is a homosexual, however, the conclusion that the harassment was gender based is defensible. In Bibby v. Philadephia Coca Cola Bottling Co., 260 F.3d 257 (3d Cir.2001), the court held a plaintiff might demonstrate that a same-sex sexual harassment claim amounted to discrimination because of sex if the harasser was motivated by sexual desire, the harasser was expressing a general hostility to the presence of one sex in the workplace, or the harasser was acting to punish the victim's noncompliance with gender stereotypes. None of these three scenarios can be gleaned from the facts in this case.

. The effect of Judge Norris concurring in this opinion is that the judgment of the district court as to Woods is affirmed and the judgment as to Carlton is reversed. The case is remanded to the district court for entry of appropriate judgments in conformity with this opinion.