‘Doctor Odyssey’ crew sue Disney and 20th TV for alleged sexual harassment and wrongful termination

Three members of the props crew on the ABC medical drama Doctor Odyssey have filed suit against parent company Disney and producer 20th Television, alleging sexual harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and negligent hiring, retention, and supervising practices.

Caroline Mack, Alicia Haverland, and Ava Steinbrenner claim in the suit, filed in California’s state Superior Court on Friday and obtained by Entertainment Weekly, that Tyler Patton, hired by the companies to serve as Doctor Odyssey‘s assistant prop master under his wife, prop master Tammie Patton, subjected them to an “unchecked campaign of sexual harassment for months.” In response, the plaintiffs allege that the Pattons retaliated against them, Disney and 20th TV ignored their complaints, and ultimately laid off the entire props department rather than investigate and take appropriate action.

Mack, Haverland, and Steinbrenner are requesting a jury trial.

EW has reached out to reps for Disney, 20th Television, and Tammie and Tyler Patton for comment.

The members of the props department that filed suit say they were hired in late spring or early summer of 2024 to work on the first season of Doctor Odyssey, which premiered in September 2024 and aired its last episode in May. Tammie and Tyler Patton were hired shortly thereafter, a decision the plaintiffs say they weren’t happy about, citing a 2010 lawsuit brought against Fox and Universal that alleged Tyler Patton had created a similarly toxic culture on the set of House and retaliated against an assistant prop master there for complaining.

In their capacity as prop master and assistant prop master, the Pattons supervised and directed Mack, Haverland, and Steinbrenner’s daily work. They were also responsible for hiring additional members of the props department, which they claim Tyler filled with his “male buddies,” noting “some overlap between employees on Doctor Odyssey and employees on the set of House.”

Tyler Patton and several other male props employees created “an unlawful den of sexual harassment and retaliation,” they claim, which Tammie Patton not only ignored but subjected them to retaliation for complaining about.

Mack, Haverland, and Steinbrenner allege that Tyler Patton physically harassed them (“unwanted, lingering hugs,” “touching one of the Plaintiff’s thighs,” “openly grabbing a visiting employee’s buttocks on set”), verbally harassed them (they claim he made frequent unwanted comments about sexual acts and BDSM practices to them, texted them lewd remarks and images, and “regularly sexualized” them in statements made aloud in front of the whole crew), and engaged in “significant sexualized visual conduct” such as making obscene gestures and wearing clothing featuring provocative images and statements.

Two weeks after the plaintiffs to the suit complained about Tyler Patton’s behavior, he was fired. But shortly thereafter Don Bracken, identified as “a friend of the Pattons,” was hired to replace him. They allege he frequently told them “there’s no shame in quitting” following their complaints. After being demoted to tasks they call “demeaning” — characterized as retaliatory behavior — Mack, Haverland, and Steinbrenner say the entire props department was fired save Bracken, who never worked directly with Tyler Patton.

As a result of the Pattons’ “unlawful conduct,” Mack, Haverland, and Steinbrenner say they have “suffered and will continue to suffer pain and suffering, extreme and severe mental anguish and emotional distress, as well as economic damages including the loss of past and future earnings and benefits.”

The plaintiffs are seeking general and compensatory damages “in amounts to be proven at trial.”