Hostile Work Environment at Friends?

[George_S]

ugust 16, 2004

Hostile Work Environment at Friends?

by David E. Bernstein

David E. Bernstein, professor at George Mason University School of Law, is the author of You Can't Say That! The Growing Threat to Civil Liberties from Antidiscrimination Laws (Cato Institute), to be released in a paperback in October 2004.

Just when you thought you'd finally heard the last of Ross and Rachel, Friends is in the news again. But this time it's not the actors who are stealing headlines. It's the scribes behind all those sarcastic Chandler jokes who are in the limelight for a change. And they are in trouble.

Former Friends writers' assistant Amaani Lyle has sued Warner Brothers and three Friends writers for sexual harassment. She claims that the writers created a "hostile work environment" by engaging in sex-related comments and bawdy jokes during writers' meetings. It may sound far-fetched--Lyle herself was never a target of any of the comments--but a California state appellate court has already allowed Lyle's claim to proceed.

Now it's up to the California Supreme Court to decide if the sex-related musings of a crew of kibbitzing sitcom writers are a form of constitutionally protected expression or punishable harassment. Both common sense and the First Amendment suggest the former approach.

http://www.cato.org/dailys/08-16-04.html

[donheld]

1. One question

Why are they just now getting around to complaining about this? The show ran for about 10 years, and they never said a word about this. Seems to me if i'm "harassed" i don't think i's sit back in silence till the job ends and then complain.

[xultar]

2. Maybe they just now understood the punchlines....

I'm sure they wanted to hang on to their really kewl job and didn't want to rock the boat and miss out on all the perks.

[Stinky The Clown]

3. Oh fer krissakes .....

This is the kind of shit that that gives good law a bad name.

Hey, Kulli-Fornyu, look at yer gropinatin' governator.

[George_S]

4. That's insensitive

Though she didn't lose any arms or legs, her trauma was obviously as severe as any soldier in Iraq.

Only millions can ease the pain.