In the recent case of Bryant v. Town of Brookhaven, No. 12761/10, 2016 WL 230089 (N.Y. App. Div. 2d Dept. Jan. 20, 2016) provides an overview of the personal injury law concept of “assumption of risk”. Here, the injured plaintiff was playing golf when he slipped and fell on a wet wooden railroad tie that lined…
Read More Golfer Assumed Risk; Slip/Fall Case DismissedIn Telemaque v. Marriott International, No. 14 CIV. 6336 (ER), 2016 WL 406384 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 2, 2016), the court (among other things) dismissed plaintiff’s disability discrimination claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act because he failed to plausibly allege that he suffered a “disability” within the meaning of the statute. Plaintiff’s allegations, in sum: First,…
Read More Court Holds That Arthritis and High Blood Pressure Were Not “Disabilities” Under the ADAIn Lago v. Wen Management Corp., 2016 WL 165834 (N.Y. Sup. Qns. Jan. 8, 2016), the court granted defendants’ motion for summary judgment and dismissed plaintiff’s age discrimination, gender discrimination, and retaliation claims. The court held that plaintiff’s discrimination claims faltered at the first step of the analysis (i.e., he failed to demonstrate a prima…
Read More Replacement of Oldest Employee by Younger Employee Insufficient to Establish Age DiscriminationIn a recently-filed lawsuit, Latchminarine v. Tombalakian (NY Sup Ct Index # 150450/2016 filed 1/19/16), plaintiff Nazmoon Latchminarine – a Manhattan nanny – claims that her (ex) boss Celia Tombalakian slapped her after she quit following a dispute about after-hours work-related texting. She asserts claims for assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Read More Lawsuit: Manhattan Mom Slaps Nanny, Tells Her to “Get the Fuck Out” of Her HouseIn a recent decision in the case of Vale v. Great Neck Water Pollution Control District, 14-cv-4229 (E.D.N.Y. Jan. 8, 2016), a disability discrimination and retaliation case, the court denied the motion of a non-party – a person who had allegedly discriminated against other employees, but who never worked with or supervised plaintiff – to…
Read More Testimony of Non-Party Prior Employee (and Alleged Discrimination Victim) is Relevant in Disability Discrimination and Retaliation Case, Court RulesIn Brown v. Addison Hall Owners Corp., No. 16744, 2016 WL 237527 (N.Y. App. Div. Jan. 21, 2016), the Appellate Division, First Department affirmed the denial of summary judgment to defendants on plaintiff’s personal injury premises liability (slip/fall) claim. From the decision: In this action alleging a slip and fall on a wet floor inside…
Read More Decision: Slip/Fall Case Survives Summary Judgment; No Evidence that Defendants Mopped on Day of AccidentIn Karam v. Cty. of Rensselaer, New York, 13-cv-1018, 2016 WL 51252 (N.D.N.Y. Jan. 4, 2016), the court (among other things) granted defendants’ motion dismissing plaintiff’s claim that he was subjected to a hostile work environment claim based on his Arab ancestry. It explained: [O]nly two statements concerning Plaintiff’s ancestry were made within the applicable statute…
Read More Court Dismisses Hostile Work Environment Claim Based on Arab AncestryIf a lawsuit is a house, then the complaint is its foundation. Buried in a footnote of Brannon v. City of New York, No. 09CV4335-LTS, 2016 WL 270399 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 21, 2016) is an important pleading point for employment discrimination cases – namely, that the failure to plead a particular theory of recovery (here, hostile work…
Read More Failure to Plead Hostile Work Environment Results in Dismissal of That ClaimIn Henry v. Morgan’s Hotel Grp., Inc., No. 15-CV-1789 (ER)(JLC), 2016 WL 303114 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 25, 2016) – a race and sexual orientation discrimination case – the court quashed subpoenas seeking documents from plaintiff’s prior employers. Specifically, the court quashed the subpoenas because they (1) failed to provide adequate notice, (2) would cause prejudice to plaintiff,…
Read More Court Quashes Subpoenas Seeking Documents Held By Discrimination Plaintiff’s Prior EmployersIn Koke v. Baumgardner, No. 15-CV-9673 (LAK), 2016 WL 93094 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 5, 2016), the court considered the applicability of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to claims of discrimination based on sexual orientation. Plaintiff sued in New York state court for alleged discrimination “because of her gender and her actual or…
Read More Federal Court Rejects Jurisdictional Challenge to Sexual Orientation Discrimination Case Brought Under Title VII