‘Doctor Odyssey’ Crew Sues Disney Over Alleged Sexual Harassment on Set
Three former Doctor Odyssey crew members are suing production company Disney over allegedly experiencing sexual harassment on set.
Caroline Mack, Alicia Haverland and Ava Steinbrenner — who worked in Doctor Odyssey’s prop department— filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, May 30, over accusations of sexual harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination and negligent hiring practices. The former Doctor Odyssey employees have not specified the damages they are seeking, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
In their lawsuit, the trio say that they endured an “unchecked campaign of sexual harassment” from their supervisor Tyler Patton, including unwanted touching and sexual remarks. Patton is not named as a defendant in the suit, with the former Doctor Odyssey crewmembers instead suing Disney-owned production company 20th Century Television directly.
Tyler served as an assistant prop master on Doctor Odyssey’s first season while his wife Tammie Patton was his direct supervisor. Among a litany of allegations in the lawsuit, Tyler’s former subordinates say he made numerous sexual comments to female staffers, including telling one that “no one had broke her” yet. They also accuse him of touching female coworkers without consent — including grabbing women’s butts and giving lingering hugs — as well as texting pornographic materials.
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One alleged incident relayed in the lawsuit involved Tyler texting a link to the prop department for a supposed news article about Joe Biden dropping out of the 2024 presidential race, only for the link to direct them to a picture of a naked man instead.
“If I wasn’t f***ing the boss, I’d be fired,” Tyler allegedly said.
Mack insisted that she reported the alleged inappropriate workplace conduct and mishandling of replica firearms to the 20th Century human resources department and her union. Tyler was later fired, at which time the ex-Doctor Odyssey crewmembers say they faced workplace retaliation from his wife Tammie and were eventually laid off. Mack, Haverland and Steinbrenner claim they have been effectively blackballed by the studio.
“[The studio] almost immediately hired a whole new set of employees to replace Plaintiffs and other Props Department employees for the Dr. Odyssey Season 1 project,” their complaint reads. “Clearly, no ‘lay off’ had occurred. Instead, Defendants wiped the Prop Department’s slate clean to avoid having to deal with any remaining employee-relations issues tied to Tyler Patton’s and Tammie Patton’s misconduct.”
The former Doctor Odyssey crew members are seeking a jury trial.
Us Weekly has reached out to ABC for further information.
Doctor Odyssey premiered on ABC in September 2024, with Joshua Jackson playing a doctor who often finds himself involved in bizarre medical mysteries as a cruise ship’s chief physician. The show has yet to be renewed for a second season— though Disney Television Group president Craig Erwich told Deadline on May 13 that talks with Doctor Odyssey cocreator Ryan Murphy were ongoing,
“Doctor Odyssey isn’t currently on our schedule [for the fall],” Erwich confirmed. “Ryan’s really busy. He’s doing a lot with us. 9-1-1, 9-1-1 Nashville, All’s Fair [for streamer Hulu]. So we’re just continuing that creative conversations with him.”
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Murphy created the medical drama with two of his frequent collaborators, Feud: Capote vs. The Swans and Grotesquerie’s Jon Robin Baitz and All’s Fair’s Joe Baken.
Doctor Odyssey aired its season one finale on May 15.
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