The combination of large groups of people, alcohol, and other factors may result in a dispute that escalates into violence. This is possible in, among other places, New York bars and clubs. These establishments frequently employ security personnel and/or bouncers to keep the peace. However, what happens when one is injured by one of these…
Read More Bouncer Battery: Patrons’ RightsCase law establishes that drivers have a duty “to see that which, through the proper use of senses, should have been seen”. In Sarac-Marshall v. Mikalopas (App. Div. 1st Dept. Feb. 26, 2015), a personal injury bicycle accident case, the court applied this principle and unanimously affirmed the plaintiff-bicyclist’s motion for summary judgment on the issue of…
Read More Bicyclist Hit By Car Entitled to Summary Judgment on LiabilityThe Southern District of New York recently held, in Khan v. Hilton Worldwide, Inc., No. 14 CIV. 1011 ALC, 2015 WL 738108 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 20, 2015), that a failure to rehire an employee qualifies as an “adverse employment action” and that plaintiff’s retaliation claims under Title VII and the NYC Human Rights Law survived defendants’…
Read More Court: “Failure to Rehire” is an “Adverse Employment Action”No one likes/wants to be sued. Process servers – people hired by attorneys to deliver litigation papers to a named defendant – are, therefore, not exactly “welcome” when they attempt to serve papers on a defendant. A recent case, Galtieri v. Uptown Communications & Electric, Inc. and Jonathan Smokler, Sup. Ct. Qns. Cty. 19589/2012, illustrates…
Read More Process Server’s Assault/Battery and False Imprisonment Claims ContinueIn a lawsuit captioned Laknidhi v. AbilTo, Inc. and Michael Laskoff, NY Sup. Ct. Index No. 151506/2015 (filed 2/13/15), plaintiff alleges that defendants AbilTo and Laskoff (AbilTo’s CEO) subjected her to “harassment and discrimination … because of her pregnancy (and associated need for pregnancy leave and post-pregnancy accommodations) … which culminated in” her unlawful termination.…
Read More Pregnancy Discrimination Lawsuit Against AbilTo Inc. and Michael LaskoffThe U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Seapod Pawnbrokers have entered into a consent decree resolving a lawsuit, EEOC v. Seapod Pawnbrokers, Inc. et al., EDNY 14-cv-4567. (Here is the EEOC press release.) In its October 2014 amended complaint, the EEOC alleges that defendants violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by subjecting female employees to…
Read More $300K Consent Decree in EEOC’s Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Seapod PawnbrokersIn a February 19, 2015 New York State Court lawsuit, captioned Charles Schwarz v. Consolidated Edison, Inc. et al., plaintiff asserts that he was unlawfully terminated because of his decade-old conviction for perjury in connection with the notorious Abner Louima police brutality case. Plaintiff alleges, among other things, that defendants terminated him from his position as…
Read More “Conviction Discrimination” Lawsuit Filed by Abner Louima Defendant Charles Schwarz Against Con EdVarious statutes – including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL) – provide for an award of attorney fees to the prevailing party. These statutes represent a deviation from the so-called “American rule” of litigation, under which each side is responsible for its own…
Read More Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Winner Alexandra Marchuk’s Motion for $1.4 Million Attorney Fee AwardHere is the federal court complaint, captioned Cargian v. Breitling USA, Inc., 15-cv-01084 (SDNY, filed 2/17/15), in which plaintiff alleges age, gender, and sexual orientation discrimination against watch manufacturer Breitling. He asserts claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the New York State and City…
Read More Age, Gender, and Sexual Orientation Discrimination Lawsuit Against BreitlingIn Michael v. Bloomberg (SDNY 2/11/15) – yes, that is the actual caption – the court rejected plaintiff’s motion for a protective order and to proceed pseudonymously. Plaintiff alleges that Bloomberg engaged in violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and New York Labor Law by failing to pay proper overtime premiums to workers in its…
Read More Court Rejects FLSA Plaintiff’s Request to Proceed Against Bloomberg Under Pseudonym