Author: mjpospis

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In Doe v. Gong Xi Fa Cai, Inc. d/b/a Alta Restaurant, 2019 WL 3034793 (SDNY July 10, 2019) – in which plaintiff asserts claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000e et seq. and other statutes for alleged sexual discrimination and retaliation – the court denied plaintiff’s motion to…

Read More Sexual Harassment Plaintiff May Not Proceed Anonymously, Court Concludes Upon Application of 10-Factor Test
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In Wright v. Ad Pepper Media USA, LLC, 2019 NY Slip Op 31898(U), 152538/2015 (Sup. Ct. NY Cty. July 1, 2019), the court, inter alia, denied defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s retaliation claim under the New York City Human Rights Law. From the decision: Plaintiff claims in his first cause of action that…

Read More Retaliation Claim Survives Summary Judgment; Triable Issues Exist as to Causation
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In Bugtani v. Dish Network LLC, 2019 WL 2914158 (EDNY 2019), the court, inter alia, held that plaintiff’s employment discrimination and sexual harassment claims under Title VII of the New York State and City Human Rights Laws were subject to arbitration. From the decision: The arbitration agreement that the plaintiff signed is broad, see Johnston…

Read More Employment Discrimination, Sexual Harassment (Non-SOX) Claims Are Subject to Arbitration, Court Holds
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Recently, the Second Circuit, in Legrand v. Walmart Stores East, LP, 2019 WL 3026881 (2d Cir. July 11, 2019) (Summary Order) held, inter alia, that one plaintiff sufficiently alleged discrimination, hostile work environment, and retaliation claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1981,…

Read More Discrimination, Hostile Work Environment Claims (Based on Behind-the-Back Comments) Sufficiently Alleged, Court Holds
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From Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University v. Trump, 2019 WL 2932440 (2d CIr. July 9, 2019): Considering the interactive features, the speech in question is that of multiple individuals, not just the President or that of the government. When a Twitter user posts a reply to one of the President’s tweets, the message…

Read More Trump Twitter Blocking Violates the First Amendment, Second Circuit Holds
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In Howard v. Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, 2019 WL 2910684 (2d Cir. July 8, 2019) (Summary Order), the court affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s sex discrimination claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The court provides an instructive overview of what a plaintiff must demonstrate in order…

Read More Second Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Title VII Sex Discrimination Claim Against Port Authority
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In Wellington v. Spencer-Edwards et al, 2019 WL 2764078 (S.D.N.Y. July 1, 2019), the court, inter alia, dismissed plaintiff’s race-based employment discrimination claim. Plaintiff, who identifies as Black and Hispanic, asserts that she was fired by defendant Spencer-Edwards (who is Black and of Jamaican descent) “because she was friendly with white teachers and staff at the…

Read More Court Dismisses “Interracial Association” Race Discrimination Case
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In Taylor v. Metropolitan Transportation Authority, 18-CV-1278, 2019 WL 2766502 (S.D.N.Y. July 2, 2019), the court discussed a common discovery issue in employment discrimination cases, namely, the extent to which a plaintiff may obtain through discovery entity-wide complaints of discrimination. In this case, plaintiff asserts claims of discrimination and retaliation, and specifically that her supervisor…

Read More Court Denies Motion to Compel Discovery of Religious Discrimination Complaints, Pending Supplemental Information Relating to FRCP 26(b)(1) Proportionality
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In Favourite v. 55 Halley Street, Inc., 2019 WL 2226762 (S.D.N.Y. May 23, 2019), the court dismissed plaintiff’s claim of race discrimination under the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA). The court summarized the law as follows: Plaintiff alleges the Defendants engaged in discriminatory housing practices on the basis of race in violation of the Fair…

Read More Court Dismisses “Hostile Housing Environment” Claim Under the Fair Housing Act
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In Corso v. New York State Dept. of Corrections & Community Supervision, 2019 WL 2869573 (NDNY July 3, 2019), the court, inter alia, granted defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s hostile work environment claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. From the decision: Title VII does not impose “a general…

Read More Hostile Work Environment Claim Dismissed; Alleged Isolation, Hostile Comments and “Attitudes” (Etc.) Insufficient