February 2017

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In Townsend v. Ganci, No. 16-CV-2814 (JFB), 2017 WL 752203 (E.D.N.Y. Feb. 27, 2017), the Eastern District of New York upheld a Bankruptcy Court determination that a debt resulting from a judgment (following a jury verdict) for the plaintiff in an employment discrimination (sexual harassment/hostile work environment) case was non-dischargeable in bankruptcy. The law provides: The…

Read More Eastern District Affirms Non-Dischargeability of Debt Arising From Plaintiff Verdict/Judgment in Sexual Harassment/Hostile Work Environment Case
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In Moraetis v. Robert S. Evans et al (NY Sup. Ct. NY Cty. Index 152829/2015) (J. Bannon), a gender discrimination/hostile work environment case, the court declined (under CPLR 5519(c)) to stay the matter pending appeal of an earlier decision denying defendant’s motion to dismiss. Procedurally, the court noted that “[w]here, as here, there is no…

Read More Court Denies Stay Pending Appeal in Gender-Based Hostile Work Environment Case
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One employer action that may, under certain circumstances, give rise to an employment discrimination claim is the implementation of a so-called “English only” policy. It has been reported, for example, that one North Carolina employer has implemented such a policy. The EEOC takes the position that English-only rules “violate the law unless the employer can show…

Read More English-Only Policies and the Anti-Discrimination Laws
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In Demir v. Sandoz Inc. and Fougera Pharmaceuticals (NY Sup. Ct. NY Cty., Index 150954/2015, Feb. 17, 2017), the court held that plaintiff – a Muslim woman of Turkish national origin – sufficiently alleged causes of action for discrimination and hostile work environment (based on her gender, national origin, and religion) under the New York State…

Read More Muslim/Turkish Woman Sufficiently Alleges Gender, National Origin, and Religious Discrimination Against Sandoz
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The Southern District of New York’s recent decision in McCray v. Project Renewal, Inc., 15-cv-8494, 2017 WL 715010 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 22, 2017) (Judge Caproni) serves as another reminder of the procedural hurdles that must be overcome in order to assert an employment discrimination claim in federal court. Plaintiff, proceeding pro se, sued his former employer, Defendant Project Renewal,…

Read More Court Dismisses ADA Disability Discrimination Claim as Unexhausted, Title VII Race Discrimination Claim as Insufficiently Pled
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In Calvo v. Aristizabal (NY Sup Ct. NY Cty. Index 156048/16 Jan. 20, 2017) (J. Mendez), the court granted defendant’s motion pursuant to CPLR 3211(a)(1) and (7), CPLR 7503, and 9 U.S.C. 3, 4 (a/k/a the Federal Arbitration Act) to dismiss plaintiff’s sexual harassment complaint and to compel arbitration. Plaintiff, an account manager at NBC…

Read More Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Dismissed Pursuant to NBC Universal’s Mediation/Arbitration Program
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It is an unfortunate reality that many employment discrimination cases are dismissed. These cases are often difficult to prove, and success requires navigating a path riddled with hurdles, ranging from statutes of limitation, to proper pleading, to dismissal on summary judgment following the completion of discovery. A recent example is Edwards v. N.Y. State Office of…

Read More Court Dismisses Born Again Christian’s Employment Discrimination, Hostile Work Environment, and Retaliation Claims
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In Jeremias v. Lake Forest Estates, No. 2015-08003, 2017 WL 424673 (N.Y. App. Div. 2d Dept. Feb. 1, 2017), a personal injury slip/trip-and-fall case, the court affirmed the lower court’s denial of defendant’s motion for summary judgment. The law, as summarized by the court: A defendant moving for summary judgment in a slip-and-fall case has the…

Read More Testimony About General Cleaning Practices Insufficient to Establish Summary Judgment for Defendant in Slip/Fall Personal Injury Case
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In Morshed v. St. Barnabas Hosp., No. 16 CIV. 2862 (LGS), 2017 WL 543236 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 10, 2017), the court overruled defendants’ claims that ten documents were “privileged under the self-critical analysis privilege, peer review privilege and quality assurance privileges.”[1]Specifically, defendants asserted the following as grounds for their assertion of privilege: Rule 501 of the…

Read More Court Overrules Defendants’ Claims of Privilege in Sexual Harassment/Hostile Work Environment Case
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In Bentick v. Gatchalian, 2017 NY Slip Op 01172 (App. Div. 2d Dept. Feb. 15, 2017), an automobile accident case, the court affirmed the lower court’s decision granting plaintiff summary judgment on the issue of liability. Plaintiff and defendant collided “while the plaintiff was in the process of making a left turn from westbound Hillside Avenue…

Read More Auto-Accident Plaintiff Entitled to Summary Judgment; Evidence Demonstrated That Defendant Went Through Red LIght
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