In EEOC v. Vamco Sheet Metals Inc, the Southern District of New York held that plaintiff – a proposed intervenor in a lawsuit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) – may state a claim for discrimination under Title VII where she was allegedly harassed for breastfeeding her baby. From the decision: Title VII…
Read More Discrimination Related to Breastfeeding May Violate Title VIIIn Bright v. Coca Cola, 12-cv-234 (EDNY Nov. 3, 2014), an employment discrimination case, the Eastern District of New York granted summary judgment in defendant’s favor. Judge Cogan’s decision is instructive regarding the use of depositions in employment litigation. For non-lawyers/litigators, a “deposition” is (briefly and generally speaking) a witness’s out-of-court testimony that is reduced to…
Read More “Have You Identified All Facts Supporting Your Claims?”Yes, you read that right. The case is Youngblood v. East Neck Nursing Home, decided by the Supreme Court, Suffolk County on December 3, 2014. Here are the facts, according to the court: [Plaintiffs’] verified complaint alleges that Bernice Youngblood, an 85-year-old resident of the Center, suffered injuries … when the Center hired male strippers to…
Read More Nursing Home Stripper Theft Case ContinuesIn Albin v. LVMH Moet Louis Vuitton, the Southern District of New York held that plaintiff plausibly alleged claims of pregnancy discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (of which the Pregnancy Discrimination Act is a part), the New York State Human Rights Law, and the New York City Human Rights…
Read More Plaintiff Plausibly Alleges Pregnancy Discrimination Against Louis VuittonA recent Third Department decision, In the Matter of Sullivan v. Brookville Center for Children’s Services, affirmed a decision to award unemployment benefits to an employee who was terminated due to alleged disqualifying conduct, namely, posting on using social media during work hours. The court held: The question of whether a claimant engaged in actions…
Read More Violation of Company’s Social Media Policy Did Not Disqualify Worker From Receiving Unemployment BenefitsIn Peralta v. Roros 940, Inc., 72 F. Supp. 3d 385 (E.D.N.Y. 2014), the Eastern District of New York denied defendants’ summary judgment motion as to plaintiff’s discriminatory termination (based on pregnancy) claim, but granted it as to her pregnancy-based hostile work environment claim. The defendant, a FedEx subcontractor, alleged that plaintiff, a delivery driver, was…
Read More Unequal Treatment of Non-Pregnant Co-Workers Supports Pregnancy Discrimination Claim Against FedEx SubcontractorA recent district court decision, Patrick v. Garlick, No. 13-CV-6365L, 2014 WL 6883634 (W.D.N.Y. Dec. 4, 2014), explains the differences between federal and state anti-discrimination law regarding individual liability of the alleged harasser. There, plaintiffs, employees of Seneca Lake State Park, sued Steve Garlick (the park’s branch manager and the plaintiffs’ supervisor), alleging that Garlick subjected them…
Read More Court Explains Individual Liability Under State Human Rights LawOne type of “premises liability” case arises from injuries sustained on a landowner’s property as a result of a third-party’s acts, namely, criminal conduct. However, whether an injured plaintiff can recover depends on the third party’s status. As explained by the Appellate Division, First Department in Hierro v. New York City Housing Authority (decided December…
Read More No Landlord Liability Where On-Premises Assault Not Committed by “Intruders”A recent First Department decision, Cruz v. Lise, held that the plaintiff – whose car was rear-ended by the defendant’s car – was entitled to summary judgment. In reversing the lower court’s denial of plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment, the court held: In support of her motion, plaintiff submitted an affidavit averring that she had…
Read More But They Stopped Short! Too Bad, Says Court: Rear-Ended Plaintiff Gets Summary Judgment in Rear-End Car Accident CaseHere is the complaint recently filed by plaintiff Michael Douglas against Bleecker Kitchen & Co. and its co-owner (and owner of Gold Bar) Joshua Berkowitz. Plaintiff – who is bi-racial (mixed Black and Asian Asian ancestry) – asserts, among other things, that Berkowitz made derogatory comments about black people, in violation of the New York City…
Read More Race Discrimination/Hostile Work Environment Lawsuit Against Bleecker Kitchen and Owner Joshua Berkowitz