Doctor Odyssey crew members sue Disney over alleged sexual harassment on set and blacklisting for filing complaint

Three crew members from Doctor Odyssey have filed a lawsuit against Disney, alleging sexual harassment and blacklisting. They have accused assistant prop master Tyler Patton of engaging in inappropriate activities.

As reported by Variety, Caroline Mack, Alicia Haverland, and Ava Steinbrenner filed the lawsuit on Friday, May 30, in Los Angeles Superior Court. They are suing the production company, which is owned by Disney. The suit claims Patton allegedly made inappropriate remarks, engaged in non-consensual touching, and sent pornographic messages.

Notably, Tyler Patton's wife, Tammie Patton, was his direct supervisor on set. The three plaintiffs have also accused Tammie of retaliatory behavior after they reported her husband's actions.

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More about Doctor Odyssey crew members' lawsuit against Disney

The lawsuit accuses Tyler Patton of multiple incidents of sexual harassment on the set of the show. It details several alleged inappropriate remarks, including one instance where Patton reportedly told a female coworker once, "no one had broken her.”

Additionally, he is accused of touching female co-workers without consent, including grabbing their butts or giving lingering hugs. He even allegedly admitted once:

"If I wasn’t f***ing the boss, I’d be fired."

In another alleged incident cited in the lawsuit, Patton allegedly sent a link to the prop department about the news of Joe Biden stepping down from the 2024 presidential race. However, when one opened the link, it reportedly showed an image of a naked man instead.

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Tyler Patton was fired from Doctor Odyssey after the plaintiffs' complaints

As per US Weekly, Caroline Mack reported Tyler Patton's alleged misconduct to the production studio's HR department, which ultimately led to him getting fired.

However, as per the lawsuit, his wife, Tammie Patton, then allegedly displayed retaliatory behavior. Caroline Mack, Alicia Haverland, and Ava Steinbrenner have also accused Disney of blacklisting them.

Soon after, the entire prop department was let go. As reported by US Weekly, the lawsuit reads:

"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. Clearly, no ‘lay off’ had occurred."

It continued:

"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 crew members are asking for a jury trial for the entire case. Meanwhile, ABC or Disney hasn't provided a statement yet.

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More about Doctor Odyssey and its second season

The show premiered on ABC in September 2024 and has 18 episodes in its first season. It hasn't been renewed for a second season yet.

On May 13, Disney Television Group president Craig Erwich told Deadline that talks with the show's co-creator, Ryan Murphy, are ongoing about a potential second season. He said:

"Doctor Odyssey isn’t currently on our schedule [for the fall]. 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.”

Doctor Odyssey follows a doctor aboard a luxury cruise as he and a small medical team deal with medical issues on board. Joshua Jackson plays the lead role, Dr. Max Bankman.

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