Joseph Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services
523 U.S. 75 · Decided March 4, 1998 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Joseph Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services was decided on March 4, 1998 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Sex discrimination in employment” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 523 U.S. 75 · 118 S. Ct. 998 · 140 L. Ed. 2d 201 · 1998 U.S. LEXIS 1599
- Docket number
- 96-568
- Decided
- March 4, 1998
- Argued
- December 3, 1997
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Sex discrimination in employment
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Civil Rights Act of 1964 (other)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Joseph Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services, Incorporated, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1997-037, docket 1997-037-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Sex discrimination in employment”
- Burlington Industries, Inc. v. Kimberly B. Ellerth
- Beth Ann Faragher v. City of Boca Raton
- Christine McKennon v. Nashville Banner Publishing Company
- Clark County School District v. Shirley A. Breeden
- Sharon B. Pollard v. E. I. Du Pont de Nemours & Company
- Teresa Harris v. Forklift Systems, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Carson Lynn Brown v. R. Williams
- City of Monroe v. United States
- Murphy J. Foster, Jr. v. G. Scott LoveLaw held unconstitutional
- Lynne Kalina v. Rodney Fletcher
- South Dakota v. Yankton Sioux Tribe
- Dolores M. Oubre v. Entergy Operations, Inc.
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error