March 2014

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The Second Circuit recently held, in Parada v. Banco Industrial De Venezuela (decided March 25, 2014), that “impairments that limit the ability to sit for long periods of time do not categorically fail to qualify as disabilities under” the Americans with Disabilities Act. Plaintiff worked for the defendant in a “largely sedentary” position. About six…

Read More Circuit Rejects “Categorical” Determination that Inability to Sit for Prolonged Periods is Not a “Disability” Under the Americans with Disabilities Act
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In Abott v. City of New York, the Appellate Division, First Department affirmed a directed verdict for the defendant City of New York. Plaintiff sued to recover for injuries sustained after stepping into a pothole. This scenario implicates New York City’s “Pothole Law”, codified as New York City Administrative Code § 7-201. Section 7-201(c)(2) of that statute…

Read More Repairs to Pothole Over One Year Before Accident Defeats Injury Claim Against City of New York
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Below is the federal court complaint recently filed by the parents of aspiring model Jazmin Drain against the Freeport Union Free School District and others, arising from a razor attack by a fellow student. Plaintiffs bring their claims under 42 USC 1983. Plaintiffs alleged, among other things, that defendant school district “failed to properly act” when Jazmin…

Read More $21 Million Lawsuit by Parents Against School District Arising from Razor Attack on Aspiring Model Jazmin Drain
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In Meyer v. City of New York, the Appellate Division, Second Department affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s trip-and-fall personal injury suit against defendant real property owners. Defendants moved for summary judgment “on the ground that, under section 7-210 of the Administrative Code of the City of New York (hereinafter the Sidewalk Law), they were not…

Read More Court Affirms Dismissal of Sidewalk Trip-and-Fall Case Under NYC Sidewalk Law’s “Residential” Exemption
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In Zavala v. Cornell University, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York recently denied defendant’s Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(c) motion for judgment on the pleadings on plaintiff’s disability discrimination claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 12101 et seq. Plaintiff, who suffers from diabetes, worked as a network technician for…

Read More Diabetic Plaintiff’s Disability Discrimination Complaint Survives Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings
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Recently, in Pichardo v. Fernandez, the Supreme Court, New York County denied a motion for summary judgment filed by the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) and the driver of a City bus involved in an accident. Plaintiff was a passenger on a NYCTA bus when it was struck from behind by a car driven and…

Read More Bus Passenger’s Personal Injury Case Continues, Where Protruding Bus Was Rear-Ended
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In Arzeno v. City of New York, the Bronx Supreme Court discussed the application of the New York City Sidewalk Law – codified as New York City Administrative Code (NYCAC) § 7-210 – which generally shifts liability for sidewalk accidents from the City to abutting property owners.  The court dismissed the action against the City, but…

Read More Sidewalk/Hydrant Trip-and-Fall Case Dismissed Against City, Remains Against Abutting Property Owners
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In a recent decision in the wrongful death case of Reid v. Soults et al. (hat tip: Eric Turkewitz), a state trial court denied defendants’ motion to compel plaintiff to comply with their demand for discovery and inspection regarding a YouTube video depicting the decedent, and to compel a third party (the decedent’s brother, who publicly posted the…

Read More Court Determines YouTube Video of Decedent is Not Relevant in Wrongful Death Case
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In Ferraro v. New York City Dept. of Education, the Appellate Division, First Department reversed the dismissal of plaintiff’s allegations of employment discrimination, retaliation, and hostile work environment, observing: “To the extent plaintiff alleges acts that occurred more than one year before he commenced this action (see Education Law § 3813[2-b]), it cannot be said, as…

Read More Discrimination Claims Based on Alleged Pattern of Unlawful Conduct Not Subject to Dismissal on Statute of Limitations Grounds
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Recently, the Second Circuit held, in Costello v. Flatman, that the district court erred by declining to award a prevailing plaintiff attorney fees under the Americans with Disabilities Act. In this lawsuit (as explained in the district court’s March 28, 2013 opinion), wheelchair-bound plaintiff Mike Costello alleged that while visiting a Brooklyn Subway restaurant, he…

Read More Second Circuit Remands for Reconsideration of Attorney Fee Request in ADA Public Accommodation Case
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