Today I become a member of a protected class. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, codified at 29 U.S.C. 621, is a federal law that prohibits discrimination based on age. Specifically, it prohibits discrimination against “individuals who are at least 40 years of age.” As of today, this includes me. The ADEA makes it…
Read More The Age Discrimination in Employment Act Now Protects MeIn a recent Summary Order, Dunaway v. MPCC Corp. (2d Cir. Sept. 27, 2016), the Second Circuit affirmed the summary judgment dismissal of plaintiff’s age discrimination claim under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. This decision teaches that asking age-related questions during a job interview is not, alone, necessarily sufficient to sustain a failure-to-hire discrimination claim.…
Read More Age-Related Comments During Job Interview Insufficient to Establish Failure-to-Hire ADEA ClaimIn Spinelli v. City of New York, 13-cv-7112, 2016 WL 5476001 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 29, 2016), the Court adopted a Magistrate’s Report & Recommendation to, among other things, deny defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s age discrimination claim under the New York State Human Rights Law. As to plaintiff’s prima facie case, the Court explained:…
Read More Age Discrimination Claim Survives Summary Judgment; Evidence Included Shifting of Responsibilities to Clerical Tasks and Ageist RemarksIn an employment discrimination case, it is not uncommon for a defendant/employer to seek information/documents regarding the plaintiff’s prior employment. In Roazzi v. U.S. Builders Group et al (NY Sup. Ct. Index #152129/16), an age discrimination case, defendants sought authorizations for the plaintiff’s employment records going back ten years. Judge Wright granted plaintiff’s motion for…
Read More Court Grants Protective Order Regarding Prior Employment in Age Discrimination CaseEmployment discrimination law is (for the most part) statutory, and is distributed among a variety of federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Although these statutes’ protections may overlap, they differ in terms of (e.g.) which employers are covered, administrative filing prerequisites, and damages/remedies. Below is a summary (not a complete listing or explanation) of…
Read More Which Employment Discrimination Laws Protect New York City Workers?In Durick v. New York City Dep’t of Educ., No. 15 CIV. 7441 (BMC), 2016 WL 4385908 (E.D.N.Y. Aug. 17, 2016), the court held that plaintiff’s failure-to-accommodate-disability and constructive discharge claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act survived summary judgment. Failure to Accommodate As to plaintiff’s failure to accommodate claim, the court explained: In order…
Read More Parking Space Reasonable Accommodation (Disability) Claim Survives Summary JudgmentIn Epstein v. County of Suffolk & Suffolk County Community College, No. 14-CV-0937, 2016 WL 4257349 (E.D.N.Y. Aug. 11, 2016), the court dismissed plaintiff’s claims for, e.g., age discrimination, disability discrimination (failure to provide reasonable accommodation), and hostile work environment. In this post I’ll discuss the court’s evaluation of plaintiff’s failure-to-accommodate-disability and hostile work environment claims.…
Read More Professor’s Hostile Work Environment & Sleep-Related Disability Discrimination Claims Dismissed as Insufficiently PledIn Godino v. Premier Salons, Ltd., No. 13705/13, 2016 NY Slip Op 05118, 2016 WL 3533532 (N.Y. App. Div. 2d Dept. June 29, 2016), the court affirmed the denial of defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiff’s complaint alleging age discrimination and hostile work environment. On a motion to dismiss a complaint for failure to state a cause…
Read More Plaintiff Hairstylist Sufficiently Alleges Age Discrimination and Hostile Work Environment; Survives CPLR 3211(a)(7) Motion to DismissIn Franchino v. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, No. 15 CV 6299 (VB), 2016 WL 3360525, at (S.D.N.Y. June 15, 2016), the court dismissed plaintiff’s complaint for discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity, national origin, and age under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim. In dismissing his Title VII…
Read More SDNY Dismisses Employment Discrimination Complaint Asserting Unequal Discipline and Age-Related Jokes and CommentsA recent decision, Kelly v. Times/Review Newspapers Corp., 14-cv-2995, 2016 WL 2901744 (E.D.N.Y. May 18, 2016), illustrates how courts are applying the newly-amended Federal Rules of Civil Procedure in employment cases. In this employment discrimination case, plaintiff “seeks compensatory damages, alleging that he suffered actual anguish, embarrassment, suffering, and humiliation as result of his wrongful involuntary termination…
Read More Court Applies Amended Discovery Rule to Discovery Demands Seeking Information Relating to Claimed Emotional Distress in Age Discrimination Case