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One employer action that may, under certain circumstances, give rise to an employment discrimination claim is the implementation of a so-called “English only” policy. It has been reported, for example, that one North Carolina employer has implemented such a policy. The EEOC takes the position that English-only rules “violate the law unless the employer can show…

Read More English-Only Policies and the Anti-Discrimination Laws
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Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it an unlawful discriminatory practice for an employer to discriminate against an employee because of (among other protected characteristics) “sex.” The term “sexual harassment” typically conjures up images of a male boss acting inappropriately towards a female subordinate. This is one, but not the only,…

Read More Same-Sex Sexual Harassment
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In employment discrimination cases, assuming a plaintiff sufficiently/plausibly alleges one or more claims in their complaint, the next procedural battleground is (usually) “summary judgment”. You can think of summary judgment as the last procedural hurdle – often after discovery is complete and all the facts are “in” – standing between a plaintiff and the holy grail…

Read More Surviving Summary Judgment: Sexual Harassment (Hostile Work Environment)
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“Should I accept this settlement offer?” “What is my case worth?” I have been asked these, and similar, questions many times by my clients. They are excellent questions, and the client’s motivation for them is clear and understandable: they have been presented with an option – accept or reject a settlement offer, appeal or leave…

Read More Case Value, and Why Lawsuits Are Not Like Diamonds
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Donald J. Trump’s election is likely to be a major topic of discussion among many people, particularly at work. The topic of sex – including sexual harassment and sexual assault – has, one could say, dominated this election. While sex is no stranger to politics (see, e.g., Clinton/Lewinsky) this time seems … different. Examples include…

Read More Donald Trump, Sexual Harassment, and the Workplace
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The Americans with Disabilities Act, New York State Human Rights Law, and New York City Human Rights Law all prohibit discrimination on the basis of a “disability”. The term “disability” is defined by the statutes in a specific way; thus a medical condition must come under the statutory definition of “disability” in order for a disability discrimination…

Read More What is a “Disability” Within the Meaning of the Anti-Discrimination Laws?
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Employment 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?
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One type of disability discrimination claim recognized by the anti-discrimination laws is a so-called “failure to accommodate” claim. This article is meant to give an overview of general principles applicable; it is not intended to cover all aspects of the law on this topic. In order to establish a failure to accommodate claim under the…

Read More The “Failure to Accommodate Disability” Cause of Action
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In employment discrimination law, the so-called “same actor inference” holds that “[w]hen the person who made the decision to fire was the same person who made the decision to hire, it is difficult to impute to [him] an invidious motivation that would be inconsistent with the decision to hire.” Orellana v. Reiss Wholesale Hardware Co., No.…

Read More The “Same Actor Inference” in Employment Discrimination Law
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Not every action taken by an employer against an employee is actionable under the anti-discrimination laws, even if the action is tied to a so-called protected characteristic. The dividing line between actionable and non-actionable conduct – for claims of retaliation or status-based discrimination – is the presence, or absence, of an “adverse employment action.” As…

Read More What is an “Adverse Employment Action”?
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