January 2016

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In Foley v. Santucci, 2016 NY Slip Op 00330 (App. Div. 2nd Dept. Jan. 20, 2016), a car accident case, the court reversed the denial of plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment. It explained: [Non-party witness affidavits] demonstrated that the sole proximate cause of the subject accident was the defendant driver’s violation of Vehicle and Traffic Law §…

Read More Left Turn Without Yielding Right of Way Results in Summary Judgment for Plaintiff in Car Accident Case
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In a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court on January 19, 2016, Mikolaenko v. NYU School of Medicine et al (16-cv-00413), plaintiff – a doctor – asserts (among other things) that her supervisor threatened to give her poor reviews and terminate her unless she had sex with him, propositioned plaintiff for sex, and made inappropriate…

Read More Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against NYU School of Medicine and Others
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Governor Cuomo recently signed into law A6265/S5188, which amends N.Y. C.P.L.R. 3212 – the statute that governs summary judgment – with respect to the use of expert affidavits. The statute now reads, with new text bolded: (b) Supporting proof; grounds; relief to either party. A motion for summary judgment shall be supported by affidavit, by a…

Read More CPLR Amended to Expand Use of Expert Affidavits on Summary Judgment Motions
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In Dotel v. Walmart Stores, Inc., No. 15-76-CV, 2016 WL 158466, at *1 (2d Cir. Jan. 14, 2016) (Summary Order), the Second Circuit affirmed the district court’s dismissal of plaintiff’s complaint against Walmart Stores alleging sex discrimination, hostile work environment, retaliation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. As to her hostile work environment claim, the court…

Read More Second Circuit Invokes the “Equal Opportunity Jerk” Principle in Affirming Dismissal of Plaintiff’s Sex-Based Hostile Work Environment Claim
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The tragic story of the death of 15-year-old Natalia Jimenez is making the rounds. The New York Times reports, for example, that Ms. Jimenez died on Friday (1/15/16) afternoon after she tried to jump from one rooftop to another in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. The Times article continues: A neighbor chastised [Natalia and her two friends],…

Read More Failed Manhattan Building Jump Attempt Results in Death of NYC Teen Natalie Jimenez
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In Matter of Gifford v Mccarthy, 2016 NY Slip Op 00230 (App. Div. 3d Dept. Jan. 14, 2016), the Appellate Division, Third Department held that the NYS Division of Human Rights properly found an upstate farm guilty of an unlawful discriminatory practice based on sexual orientation. This decision provides useful guidance on, among other things, what…

Read More Court Upholds NYSDHR Determination That Liberty Ridge Farm Engaged in Public Accommodation Discrimination on the Basis of Sexual Orientation by Refusing to Host Same-Sex Wedding Ceremony and Reception
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In Rodriguez v Judge and Community Church of Astoria, 2015 NY Slip Op 07828 [132 AD3d 966] (App. Div. 2nd Dept. Oct. 28, 2015), the court explained and applied the well-known tort doctrine of “respondeat superior”, under which an employer is liable for the torts of its employees. Here are the (briefly-summarized) facts of this personal…

Read More Church Not Liable to Plaintiff for Assault/Battery by Employee’s Husband
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In a lawsuit filed on January 11, 2016 in New York Supreme Court, Sclafani v. Marie (NY Sup. Ct., Index No. 150205/2016), plaintiff alleges that while she was employed as a dental hygienist by defendant dentist Glenn Marie, he sexually harassed her and subjected her to a hostile work environment (by, e.g., asking her to give…

Read More Lawsuit Alleges Sexual Harassment, Hostile Work Environment, and Retaliation Against Dentist Who Allegedly Wanted Plaintiff Hygienist to Give His Penis a “Cleaning”
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In Marcus v. Leviton Mfg. Co., No. 15CV656SJFGRB, 2016 WL 74415 (E.D.N.Y. Jan. 6, 2016), the Eastern District of New York dismissed plaintiff’s age discrimination case for failure to state a claim under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). Although this plaintiff loses, Judge Feuerstein’s decision is instructive regarding what judges look for when evaluating…

Read More Pleading Lessons From a Dismissed Age Discrimination Case
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