2014

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A recent Eastern District decision, Sandvik v. Sears Holding/Sears Home Improvement Products, Inc., illustrates the nature and quantity of evidence necessary to overcome summary judgment in an age discrimination case under the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act and its state/city law counterparts. Plaintiff – who worked for defendant for 38 years before his departure…

Read More Ageist Comments Support Discrimination Claim Against Sears
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In Dominicci v. Ford, a rear-end motor vehicle accident case decided July 3, 2014, the Fourth Department affirmed the denial of State Farm Automobile Insurance Company’s motion to quash plaintiff’s subpoena for documents. State Farm retained a physician to conduct an “independent medical examination”, or “IME”, of the plaintiff on behalf of defendant. Plaintiff then…

Read More Car Accident Plaintiff Entitled to Documents to Show Bias, Motive, or Interest of Insurance Company-Retained Examining Physician, Fourth Department Holds
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In Pecile v. Titan Capital Group, LLC, 2014 NY Slip Op 05053, 119 A.D.3d 446 (App. Div. 1st Dept. July 3, 2014), the Appellate Division, First Department held that the plaintiffs in this sexual harassment lawsuit[1]Redacted. are entitled to production of (1) all documents concerning complaints of sexual harassment and/or retaliation, whether internal or external, made…

Read More Sexual Harassment Plaintiffs Entitled to Discovery Regarding Harassment Complaints, First Dept. Holds
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Here’s Lindsay Lohan’s state court complaint, filed July 1, 2014 in New York State Supreme Court, against Take-Two Interactive Software and Rockstar Games. Lohan asserts that defendants used Lohan’s “portrait” in advertising the game and in the game itself, namely in a “side mission” involving a character named “Lacey Jonas” and telling a story containing…

Read More Lindsay Lohan’s Grand Theft Auto V Lawsuit
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Today is July 4, 2014, the 238th anniversary of the Continental Congress’ adoption of the Declaration of Independence, our break-up letter to our abusive partner Great Britain. No euphemisms here: it couldn’t seriously be said “it’s not you, it’s us”; it was most certainly them. King George, it seems, wasn’t a terribly nice guy. Dear…

Read More When, in the Course of Human Events…
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In Reis v. Volvo Cars of N. Am., decided July 1, 2014, the Court of Appeals held that the trial court erroneously charged the jury in a design defect case, requiring reversal and a new trial. Here are the facts of this product liability case: On May 24, 2002, plaintiff’s friend, Americo Silva, was showing plaintiff…

Read More Inappropriate Jury Charge in Product Liability Case Results in Tossing of $10 Million Jury Verdict
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The law requires municipalities, such as New York City, to maintain their streets and highways in a reasonably safe condition for people who use them. However, anyone seeking to recover for personal injuries arising from a defective condition on a New York City “street, highway, bridge, wharf, culvert, sidewalk or crosswalk” must – in addition…

Read More New York City’s “Prior Written Notice” Requirement
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In Henderson v. City of New York, plaintiff alleged that she tripped and fell on a manhole in a crosswalk at the intersection of Second Avenue and 74th Street in Manhattan. She claimed, in her notice of claim, that she fell due to a “raised, cracked, depressed, missing, broken and/or mis-leveled pavement and/or manhole cover…

Read More No Explicit Denial of Lack of Prior Written Notice Results in Denial of Summary Judgment to City in Trip/Fall Case
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A recent First Department decision, Cambio v. City of New York (decided June 19, 2014), underscores the notice function of a “notice of claim” and held that the plaintiff’s subsequent deviation from allegations in his notice of claim mandated dismissal. The facts: Plaintiff, who is legally blind, alleged in his notice of claim that he…

Read More Trip/Fall Claims Dismissed Where Litigation Theory Deviated From That Asserted in Notice of Claim
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The U.S. Supreme Court recently held, in Riley v. California (decided together with U.S. v. Wurie) that the police may not conduct a warrantless search of the digital contents of a cell phone seized from an individual who has been arrested. Justice Roberts’ tour through the Court’s Fourth Amendment jurisprudence culminates with this terse observation:…

Read More Police Need Warrant to Search Cell Phones’ Digital Contents, U.S. Supreme Court Holds
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