Massachusetts Jury Instruction — 1.1.3 Public Employee Equal Protection Claim Race and/or Sex Discrimination Hostile Work Environment — Separate Liability is a set of instructions provided to the jury members during trials related to public employee equal protection claims involving race and/or sex discrimination within a hostile work environment. These instructions aim to guide the jury in understanding the legal principles and considerations relevant to such cases. Keywords: Massachusetts, jury instruction, public employee, equal protection claim, race discrimination, sex discrimination, hostile work environment, separate liability. In cases involving public employees who claim violations of their equal protection rights based on race and/or sex discrimination within a hostile work environment, the jury instruction — 1.1.3 provides detailed guidance on several aspects: 1. Definition of Public Employee: The instruction begins by clarifying the definition of a public employee. It outlines the criteria that determine whether an individual qualifies as a public employee and are thus entitled to equal protection under the law. 2. Equal Protection Claim: The instruction explains the importance of equal protection claims, stressing that public employees are entitled to be treated equally regardless of their race or sex. It highlights that the government and its agents must not discriminate unlawfully against employees in a manner that denies them equal protection of the law. 3. Hostile Work Environment: The instruction establishes the concept of a hostile work environment, denoting a workplace where the conduct, behavior, or actions of others create an environment that is intimidating, offensive, or abusive towards an individual because of their race or sex. It elucidates the criteria that need to be met for a hostile work environment claim to be valid. 4. Race and/or Sex Discrimination: The instruction delves into the different forms of racial and/or sex discrimination that could occur within the context of a public employee's work environment. It highlights various behaviors, actions, or policies that could amount to discriminatory practices and emphasizes the need for the presence of discriminatory intent or impact. 5. Separate Liability: The instruction addresses the principle of separate liability, which allows individual defendants to be held accountable for their discriminatory actions or behaviors within a hostile work environment. It outlines the legal process to determine and assign liability to each defendant involved, based on their individual actions or roles in perpetuating the hostile environment. These keywords and the corresponding content outline the key elements of Massachusetts Jury Instruction — 1.1.3 Public Employee Equal Protection Claim Race and/or Sex Discrimination Hostile Work Environment — Separate Liability, providing guidance for the jury in understanding the legal principles, definitions, and considerations for such cases.