Growing up, I spent a lot of time playing “manhunt” with my friends. Thankfully, unlike the plaintiff in a recent case, we never suffered any injuries while playing. Here are the facts of Wolfe v. North Merrick Union Free School District, 2014 NY Slip Op 07499, 122 AD3d 620 (App. Div. 2nd Dept. Nov. 5,…
Read More Plaintiff Injured During Game of “Manhunt” Did Not Assume Risk; Case ContinuesIn Sherman v. County of Suffolk, the Eastern District of New York addressed plaintiff’s discrimination claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The court held that plaintiff presented enough evidence to overcome summary judgment on his ADA discrimination claim: [W]hile the Plaintiff does not point to any direct evidence of discriminatory intent, such as derogatory…
Read More ADA-Based Discrimination and Retaliation, but not Hostile Work Environment, Claims Survive Summary JudgmentIn Ndiaye v. NEP W. 119th St. LP, a slip-and-fall personal injury case, the Appellate Division, First Department reversed the trial court’s order granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment. Plaintiff sued to recover damages for injuries she allegedly suffered when she slipped and fell on ice on the front steps of defendant’s building. Defendant claimed…
Read More Court Rejects “Storm-In Progress” Argument in Reversing Summary Judgment for Defendant in Ice Slip/Fall CaseIn Gorman v. Covidien Sales, LLC, decided December 31, 2014, the Southern District of New York discussed the affirmative defense based on the so-called “after-acquired evidence” doctrine/defense. In this employment discrimination case, plaintiff sought “damages for alleged discrimination on the basis of military status and medical disability, retaliation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress during his…
Read More Defendants May Amend Answer to Assert the “After-Acquired Evidence” Defense in Discrimination Case Where Plaintiff Recorded Phone Conversations With SupervisorHere and below is the lawsuit, captioned Meyers v. Revlon, Inc. et al., 14-CV-10213, recently filed by Alan Meyers against Revlon, Inc. and Revlon Consumer Products Corp. Plaintiff alleges that defendant’s CEO/President Lorenzo Delpani subjected him to discrimination based on his race/ethnicity/religion (Jewish) and national origin. From the complaint: [R]eflecting his Anti-American and Anti-Semitic biases, Delpani treated…
Read More Lawsuit Alleges Anti-Semitic, Anti-American Discrimination/Harassment by Revlon CEO Lorenzo DelpaniHere is the state-court complaint recently filed by Mekhala Sofsky against her former employer the Doughnut Plant. She alleges pregnancy discrimination under the New York State and New York City Human Rights Laws.
Read More Pregnancy Discrimination Lawsuit Against Doughnut PlantOne of the ways to establish “pretext” in the employment discrimination/retaliation analysis is to point to “inconsistent employer explanations” for the employee’s termination. That is what happened in Encarnacion v. Isabella Geriatric Center, decided by the Southern District of New York on December 12, 2014. There, plaintiff, a nurse, alleged (among other things) that she…
Read More Court Denies Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment on Plaintiff’s Retaliation Claims, Citing Inconsistent and Contradictory Explanations for TerminationHere is the complaint recently filed by plaintiff against his employer, Wall Street Languages, Ltd. (d/b/a Rennert International), alleging sexual harassment. Specifically, plaintiff claims that his male supervisor subjected him to numerous instances of harassing conduct, including asking plaintiff about the size of his penis and inviting him to an all-male, naked pool party.
Read More Same-Sex Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Wall Street Languages d/b/a Rennert InternationalIn Bencebi v. Baywood Realty, LLC, a stairway-fall personal injury case, the Appellate Division, Second Department reversed the lower court’s order granting summary for defendant. That is, plaintiff’s case continues to trial. Here are the facts: [Plaintiff sued] to recover damages for personal injuries allegedly sustained by her when she fell while descending an interior…
Read More Lack of Handrail Cited in Denial of Summary Judgment to Defendant in Stair-Fall Personal Injury CaseIn Lewis v. Blackman Plumbing Supply Co. 51 F. Supp. 3d 289 (SDNY 2014), the Southern District of New York denied defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s claims that defendants terminated him because of his hip-related disability, failed to accommodate him, and subjected him to a hostile work environment. As to plaintiff’s discriminatory-discharge claim,…
Read More Evidence, Including Derogatory Comments About Plaintiff’s Walk, Was Sufficient to Overcome Summary Judgment on Plaintiff’s Disability Discrimination Claims