In a recently-filed lawsuit, captioned Jones v. Trevor Tahiem Smith (a/k/a Busta Rhymes), 16-cv-2194 (EDNY filed 5/3/16), plaintiff – a chauffeur for the rapper known as Busta Rhymes – asserts that he was not paid wages or overtime to which he was entitled, and subjected to age discrimination. He asserts, for example, that Mr. Rhymes told…
Read More Wage and Age Discrimination Lawsuit Against Busta RhymesIn Lester v. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Pres., No. 10863/09, 2016 WL 2338530 (N.Y. App. Div. 2nd Dept. May 5, 2016), the court held that the lower court should not have dismissed plaintiff’s age discrimination claim on summary judgment. Here are the facts, as summarized by the court: [P]laintiff worked for…
Read More Lifeguard’s Age Discrimination Case Survives Summary JudgmentA recent Southern District case, Moore v. Verizon, No. 13-CV-6467 (RJS), 2016 WL 825001 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 5, 2016), illustrates that the New York City Human Rights Law – while the broadest of the anti-discrimination statutes protecting New York City employees and residents – is not of unlimited breadth. Here, plaintiff (a 62 year-old African American…
Read More Two Age-Related Comments Insufficient to Establish Liability Under the NYC Human Rights Law, Court HoldsIn a recently-filed lawsuit, captioned Grant v. New York Times et al, 16-cv-03175 (filed April 28, 2016), two named plaintiffs (individually and on behalf of all similarly situated persons) allege age, race, and gender discrimination against the New York Times. From the complaint: The New York Times, widely touted as the “paper of record,” has…
Read More Age, Race, Gender Discrimination Lawsuit Against the New York TimesIn Bennett v. Time Warner Cable, 2016 NY Slip Op 03103 (App. Div. 1st Dept. April 26, 2016), the court affirmed the lower court’s denial of defendant’s motion to dismiss plaintiff’s claims under the New York State and City Human Rights Laws for age discrimination based on a theory of “disparate impact.” The Second Circuit,…
Read More Disparate Impact Age Discrimination Claims Sufficiently Alleged Under NYS and NYC Human Rights LawsIn Krebaum v Capital One, N.A., 2016 NY Slip Op 02914 (App. Div. 1st Dept. April 14, 2016), the court modified a lower court’s order, and held that plaintiff’s claims of age discrimination and retaliation under the New York State and City Human Rights Law should have been denied. Upon review of the evidence in the…
Read More Negative Comments About Age Sufficient to Overcome Summary Judgment on Plaintiff’s Age Discrimination ClaimIn Cappelli v. Jack Resnick & Sons, Inc, No. 1:13-CV-3481-GHW, 2016 WL 958642 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 8, 2016), the court granted defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s employment discrimination and retaliation claims. Plaintiff, a male building superintendent, complained about the following conduct at work: I have been the victim of sexual harassment that has been performed…
Read More Merely Witnessing Sexual Conduct Held Insufficient to Establish a Sex-Based Hostile Work Environment ClaimIn Lott v. Coreone Techs., LLC, No. 14-CV-5848 (CM), 2016 WL 462486 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 2, 2016), plaintiff asserted age discrimination, disability discrimination, and retaliation claims against his former employer. The court granted defendant’s motion for summary judgment as to some of plaintiff’s claims (e.g., discriminatory failure to promote and discriminatory termination), but denied it as…
Read More Retaliatory Firing Claim Survives Dismissal in Light of Evidence that Reduction-in-Force Was PretextualIn Lago v. Wen Management Corp., 2016 WL 165834 (N.Y. Sup. Qns. Jan. 8, 2016), the court granted defendants’ motion for summary judgment and dismissed plaintiff’s age discrimination, gender discrimination, and retaliation claims. The court held that plaintiff’s discrimination claims faltered at the first step of the analysis (i.e., he failed to demonstrate a prima…
Read More Replacement of Oldest Employee by Younger Employee Insufficient to Establish Age DiscriminationIn Marcus v. Leviton Mfg. Co., No. 15CV656SJFGRB, 2016 WL 74415 (E.D.N.Y. Jan. 6, 2016), the Eastern District of New York dismissed plaintiff’s age discrimination case for failure to state a claim under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). Although this plaintiff loses, Judge Feuerstein’s decision is instructive regarding what judges look for when evaluating…
Read More Pleading Lessons From a Dismissed Age Discrimination Case