A Philadelphia Police Department sergeant, Mark Casey, has successfully moved forward with key claims in his same-sex sexual harassment lawsuit against the city and his supervisor, Captain Tyrell McCoy.
Casey alleges that McCoy engaged in a continuous pattern of “sexually harassing, abusive, and predatory behavior,” which included:
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Unwanted Advances: Allegedly insisting via text message that Casey perform oral sex in his office (sometimes with suggestive emojis).
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Physical Misconduct: Repeatedly “grabbing, groping, and kissing him without consent.”
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Abuse of Power: Allegedly treating Casey as a “personal assistant” by making him run personal errands and drive him outside of work hours.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania granted partial summary judgment to the defendants, resulting in a crucial trimming of the case. The ruling had two main effects:
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Claims Dismissed: The judge dismissed Sergeant Casey’s retaliation claim and any allegations related to harassment that occurred before McCoy became his supervisor.
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Claims to Proceed: The most serious claims were allowed to move forward to a jury trial. The court found that there are genuine issues of material fact regarding Casey’s civil rights claim against Captain McCoy, specifically focusing on whether the captain propositioned the sergeant after he became his supervisor.
This decision ensures the central allegations of sexual harassment and abuse of power will be heard, despite the dismissal of the separate retaliation claim.
