2014

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In Martyniak v Charleston Enters., LLC (decided June 4, 2014), a trip-and-fall action, the Appellate Division, Second Department affirmed the denial of summary judgment for defendant. Plaintiff allegedly sustained personal injuries when she tripped and fell over a piece of metal protruding from the sidewalk in front of a Target store located in Staten Island. The court…

Read More Trip-and-Fall Case Continues; Defect Not “Trivial” as a Matter of Law
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In Wittorf v. City of New York, a bicycle injury case, the Court of Appeals reinstated an approximately $2 million jury verdict against the City. The court’s decision turned on the subtle, yet critical, distinction between “proprietary” and “governmental” functions. Judge Graffeo authored the opinion. Here are the facts of this bicycle injury case: On the…

Read More Court of Appeals Reinstates $2M Bicycle Injury Verdict, Finding That Closing Road Was a “Proprietary” Governmental Function
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In Quintana v TCR, Tennis Club of Riverdale, Inc., a slip-and-call case decided June 5, 2014, the Appellate Division, First Department affirmed the denial of defendant’s motion for summary judgment. The court held: Defendant’s sole argument on this appeal is that it is entitled to summary judgment because plaintiff failed or is unable to identify the…

Read More Slip-and-Fall Case Continues, Where Plaintiff Expressly Testified That She “Slipped in Water”
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In Ji Sun Jennifer Kim v Goldberg, Weprin, Finkel, Goldstein, LLP (decided June 3, 2014), the Appellate Division, First Department held that the plaintiff’s claims of retaliatory termination under the New York State and City Human Rights Laws were not collaterally estopped by a prior federal court decision dismissing her claims under the Family and…

Read More Dismissal of FMLA Claims Does Not Preclude Assertion of State/City Human Rights Law Retaliation Claims, First Department Holds
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In Thomas v. EONY LLC and David Shavolian (Sup. Ct. NY Cty. Index No. 158961/2013 May 23, 2014), a New York trial court denied defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiff’s complaint alleging sexual harassment, retaliation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Plaintiff alleged, for example, that defendant violated the New York State and City Human Rights Laws…

Read More There’s Zealous Advocacy, Then There’s This: Judge “Aghast” at Sexual Harassment “Defense”
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In Herling v. New York City Department of Education, decided April 23, 2014, the Eastern District of New York held that plaintiff stated a claim for discrimination based on race and religion, but not retaliation. Plaintiff, who is Jewish, alleged that he was subjected to discrimination by the school’s African-American principal, defendant Gray. He claimed,…

Read More Physical Education Teacher States Claim for Religious Discrimination Against Department of Education
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In Stubbs v. 350 E. Fordham Rd., LLC, decided May 29, 2014, the Appellate Division, First Department reinstated plaintiff’s common-law negligence claim. Plaintiff “was standing on the sidewalk in front of the two-story building located at 350 East Fordham Road when part of the stucco siding on the building fell off the facade and struck her.”…

Read More Falling Stucco Personal Injury Case Continues
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Payano v. CompassRock Real Estate LLC, decided by the Southern District of New York on May 12, 2014, discusses the application of the anti-retaliation provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the New York Labor Law. Plaintiff, a live-in apartment maintenance worker, alleged that he was only paid for 40 hours, even though he…

Read More Maintenance Worker Successfully Pleads Retaliation Claim Arising From Termination Following Wage Complaints
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On May 28, 2014, an Eastern District federal jury awarded $1.35 million to white Freeport police lieutenant Christopher Barella. Here is the Judgment, memorializing the following awards: $150,000 for loss of back pay, $1,000,000 for loss of front pay, $200,000 for punitive damages. In his Amended Complaint, plaintiff asserted that the Village of Freeport and…

Read More White Police Lieutenant Wins $1.35 Million Award in “Reverse” Discrimination Suit
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Below is the lawsuit, captioned Myrella Ikeda v. J. Sisters 57, Inc. et al., 14-cv-3570, recently filed in the Southern District of New York. According to the complaint: [Plaintiff] visited J. Sisters with a prominent Brazilian hairdresser and television and magazine reporter as part of a photo-shoot for a well known Brazilian fashion magazine. [Plaintiff] arrived…

Read More Model’s Botched Hair Lawsuit
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