Fredette v. BVP Management Associates - Impact

Less than one year after the court's decision in Fredette, the U.S. Supreme Court resolved the conflict among the various federal courts on the same gender harassment issue. In Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services Incorporated et al. (1998), the Supreme Court unanimously held that same-gender discrimination is prohibited by Title VII, taking the same position as the Eleventh Circuit in Fredette. Following the Fredette and Oncale decisions, employers must be much more conscious of how male supervisors and employees treat not only female employees, but also other male employees.