Three former crew members on ABC’s medical dramedy Doctor Odyssey have sued Disney and producer 20th Television in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging that studio executives tolerated months of sexual harassment and retaliation during the show’s first-season shoot.
The plaintiffs—props assistants Caroline Mack, Alicia Haverland and Ava Steinbrenner—say assistant prop master Tyler Patton subjected them to unwanted touching, crude comments and pornographic “pranks,” conduct the complaint brands an “unchecked campaign of sexual harassment.”
The suit contends that Patton’s wife Tammie, the production’s lead prop master, and other supervisors retaliated when the women reported the behavior, relegating them to demeaning tasks and threatening their jobs even after the union and human-resources departments were notified. According to the filing, management later dismissed the entire props team—save for Patton’s eventual replacement—and the plaintiffs have since been “blacklisted” from Disney sets.
Disney and 20th Television have declined to comment on the litigation, and attempts to reach Tyler Patton were unsuccessful. Employment-law specialists note that allegations combining harassment, retaliation and career blacklisting often carry heightened damages under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act.
The legal fight lands as Doctor Odyssey awaits a second-season order. Cast contracts expire in mid-June, a deadline industry analysts say could complicate the show’s future if discovery drags on. The Joshua Jackson–led series delivered ABC’s biggest freshman-drama launch in four years, drawing 13.6 million cross-platform viewers during premiere week, yet production has been dark since February.
