In Simons v. Petrarch LLC and Hicham Aboutaam, 2017 NY Slip Op 30457(U) (NY Sup. Ct. NY Cty. March 1, 2017) (J. Hagler), a sexual harassment case, the court applied spoliation sanctions on plaintiff. This case is instructive as to the obligations of litigants generally, and in sexual harassment cases in particular, to preserve evidence.…
Read More Sexual Harassment Plaintiff Hit With Spoliation SanctionsIn DeVore v. Neighborhood Hous. Servs. of Jamaica Inc. (NHSJ), No. 15-CV-6218 (PKC), 2017 WL 1034787 (E.D.N.Y. Mar. 16, 2017), the court held that plaintiff sufficiently alleged a claim of gender discrimination. From the decision: [T]he Court finds that Plaintiff has sufficiently pled a disparate treatment claim on the basis of gender. Plaintiff alleges that…
Read More Male Employee’s Gender Discrimination (Disparate Treatment) Claim Sufficiently Pled; Survives Motion to DismissIn Bien-Aime v. Equity Residential, No. 15-CV-1485 (VEC), 2017 WL 696695 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 22, 2017), the court granted defendant’s motion for summary judgment as to plaintiff’s disability discrimination claims (under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL), and the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL), but denied…
Read More Manhattan Building Porter’s ADA Retaliation Claim Survives Summary Judgment; Disability Discrimination Claims DismissedIn a recently-filed lawsuit, captioned Piatek v. The Happiest Hour and Jon Neidich (NY Sup. Ct., NY Cty., Index 152578/2017, filed 3/17/17), plaintiff alleges that he (while wearing a hat bearing the Donald Trump slogan “Make America Great Again”) “was unlawfully ridiculed, discriminated against and ejected from The Happiest Hour on account of his creed,…
Read More Lawsuit Alleges Public Accommodation Discrimination Against Bar by Trump Hat-Wearing PatronIn Stevens v. Rite Aid Corp., No. 15-277(L), 2017 WL 1055566 (2d Cir. Mar. 21, 2017), the Second Circuit reversed a lower court decision in favor of the plaintiff on his wrongful termination and retaliation claims, and affirmed its dismissal of plaintiff’s failure-to-accommodate claim, under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and state law. Plaintiff, a pharmacist, suffers…
Read More 2d Circuit Rules Against Needle-Fearing Pharmacist on Disability Discrimination ClaimsIn Bailey v. Reg’l Radio Grp. LLC, No. 15-cv-375, 2017 WL 1025948 (N.D.N.Y. Mar. 15, 2017), the court granted defendants’ motion for summary judgment as to plaintiff’s gender-based disparate treatment (including constructive discharge), gender-based hostile work environment, and retaliation claims. In this case, plaintiff generally alleges that Defendant Ashworth discriminated against and harassed her and…
Read More Court Dismisses Gender Discrimination/Constructive Discharge, Hostile Work Environment, Retaliation Claims Against Regional Radio Group LLCIn Hababi v. Lutheran Med. Ctr., 2016 NY Slip Op 32554(U), 501765/15 (NY Sup. Ct. Kings Cty. Dec. 16, 2016), a Brooklyn state court judge denied defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s hostile work environment (but granted it with respect to, and hence dismissed, her discrimination and retaliation) claims. In sum, defendant terminated plaintiff – a…
Read More Muslim Woman Overcomes Summary Judgment on Religious and National Origin Based Hostile Work Environment, But Not Disparate Treatment and Retaliation, ClaimsEvery legal case is different. This is because there essentially is an infinite permutation of facts and circumstances that may give rise to a legal claim. Changing even one (seemingly inconsequential) fact, and you might very well get a different result. That said, lawsuits all have the same basic structure. Here I’ll outline the basic…
Read More The Litigation ProcessIn Scavetta v. Wechsler, 2017 NY Slip Op 01985 (App. Div. 1st Dept. March 16, 2017), the court applied the “vicious propensity” rule to affirm the summary judgment dismissal of a personal injury case arising from a dog escaping from an unsecured bike rack. At the same time, the court “acknowledge[d] plaintiffs’ persuasive argument that…
Read More Court (Reluctantly) Applies “Vicious Propensity” Rule to Dismiss Personal Injury Case Arising From Escaping DogIn Matter of Davis, No. 521825, 2017 NY Slip Op 01920, 2017 WL 1013161 (N.Y. App. Div. 3d Dept. Mar. 16, 2017), the court affirmed an Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board determination that the claimant was disqualified from receiving unemployment insurance benefits because she voluntarily left her employment without good cause. The court summarized the facts/procedure…
Read More Unemployment Benefit Denial to Resigning Employee Affirmed, Notwithstanding Hostile Work Environment Allegation