Kerans v. Porter Paint Co.

Kerans v. Porter Paint Co.
Seal of the Supreme Court of Ohio
Court	Supreme Court of Ohio
Full case name	Kerans et al. v. Porter Paint Company
Decided	August 21, 1991
Citations	575 N.E.2d 428 (OH 1991) 61 Ohio St.3d 486
Transcript	[1]
Case history
Prior action	Appeal from summary judgment for defendant
Holding
An employer has a duty to provide a safe work environment and may be liable for an employee's sexual harassment that it knew or should have known about.
Court membership
Judges sitting	Thomas J. Moyer, Alice Robie Resnick, A. William Sweeney, Andrew Douglas, Herbert R. Brown, Robert E. Holmes, J. Craig Wright
Case opinions
Majority by Resnick Dissent by Moyer

Kerans v. Porter Paint Co. was a leading case in Ohio on employer liability for workplace sexual harassment. In an opinion by Alice Robie Resnick, the court held that victims of harassment could bring tort claims against their employers. Resnick held that the psychological and emotional damages suffered by victims of harassment were not injuries under Ohio's workers' compensation statute, and employers were vicariously liable for the sexual harassment of their employees when they knew or should have known about the harassment.

External links

• Case Note: Sexual Harassment Claims and Ohio's Workers' Compensation Statute, 61 U. Cin. L. Rev. 1515