2015

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In Schwarz v. Consolidated Edison, Inc., 2015 NY Slip Op 25258 (Sup. Ct. NY Cty. Aug. 3, 2015), the court dismissed the discrimination complaint brought by Charles Schwartz against Con Edison under CPLR 3211(a)(7) for failure to state a claim. Mr. Schwartz – one of the police officers involved with the Abner Louima case (and who…

Read More Court Dismisses Abner Louima Officer’s Conviction Discrimination Complaint Against ConEd
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Here is the recently-filed sexual harassment complaint, captioned Campisi v. City University of New York and Dean George Ranalli, SDNY 15-cv-04859, in which plaintiff alleges that she was subjected to sexual harassment. She seeks relief under Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. 1681, and the New York City Human Rights Law.

Read More Title IX Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against CUNY and Dean George Ranalli
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In Wynn v. New York City Hous. Auth., No. 14-CV-2818 SAS, 2015 WL 4578684 (S.D.N.Y. July 29, 2015), the court held that a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) did not foreclose plaintiffs from pressing their employment discrimination claims. In this case, plaintiffs allege that NYCHA systematically undercompensated them due to a policy of race discrimination. Defendant argued…

Read More Collective Bargaining Agreement Does Not Deprive Court of Subject Matter Jurisdiction Over Employment Discrimination Claims
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In Covert v. Wisla Corp. (App. Div. 2nd Dept. July 29, 2015), the court affirmed the Supreme Court’s decision granting plaintiff’s motion to amend the complaint to add a cause of action alleging a violation of the Dram Shop Act (General Obligations Law § 11-101). From the decision: [W]here a plaintiff alleges that he or she was…

Read More Plaintiff Permitted to Amend Complaint to Add Dram Shop Act Claim
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A recent Second Department decision, Bergin v. Golshani, is instructive on the issue of when summary judgment is properly awarded to a defendant in a slip-and-fall case. Here is the law: A defendant landowner moving for summary judgment in a slip-and-fall case has the initial burden of establishing that it did not create the alleged…

Read More Lack of Inspection Evidence Properly Results in Denial of Summary Judgment for Defendants in Personal Injury Slip-and-Fall Case
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In Burgis v. New York City Dept. of Sanitation (2d Cir. July 31, 2015), a putative class action race discrimination case brought by members of the NYC Dept. of Sanitation, the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of plaintiffs’ claims under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause and 42 USC 1981 and Title VII of the…

Read More Class Action Race Discrimination Case Properly Dismissed; Intent, Statistics Insufficiently Alleged
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In Roberts v. United Parcel Serv., Inc., No. 13-CV-6161, 2015 WL 4509994 (E.D.N.Y. July 27, 2015), the Eastern District of New York denied defendant United Parcel Service’s post-trial motions and upheld the jury’s $100,000 verdict for plaintiff on her sexual orientation discrimination/hostile work environment and retaliation claims under the NYC Human Rights Law. From Judge…

Read More Court Upholds Jury Verdict (Liability and $100k Damages) in Sexual Orientation Discrimination Case Against UPS
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In Tolbert v. Smith et al, decided by the Second Circuit on June 24, 2015, the court vacated the district court’s judgment dismissing plaintiff’s claims of race discrimination (and affirmed it with respect to his hostile work environment and defamation claims). This case is instructive on the “prima facie case” portion of the employment discrimination analysis. Plaintiff, a…

Read More Non-Tenured, Probationary Teacher Establishes Prima Facie Case of Race Discrimination
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In Lee v. Woori Bank, decided by the Appellate Division, First Department on July 28, 2015, the  court held that plaintiff’s sexual harassment and negligence claims were not barred by the “waiver” provision of New York’s whistleblower statute, Labor Law § 740. Labor Law § 740(7) provides, in part, that “the institution of an action in accordance…

Read More Sexual Harassment and Negligence Claims Not Waived by Waiver Provision of New York’s Whistleblower Statute
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The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law on July 26, 1990. The ADA offers protections against disability discrimination in, for example, the workplace (Title I, V) and places of public accommodation (Title III). Title I of the ADA provides the following general rule: No covered entity shall discriminate against a qualified individual on the…

Read More Americans With Disabilities Act: 25 Years Later
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