In John Doe 1 et al v. Oscar Davis, Jr. et al, 89 Misc. 3d 1210(A) (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2026) – in which plaintiffs seek to recover damages for negligence, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, prima facie tort, assault, respondeat superior, negligent hiring and violations of the New York State Human Rights Law for…
Read More Sexual Harassment Plaintiffs May Proceed Pseudonymously, Court HoldsIn Sassoon v. Dow Jones & Co., Inc., 2026 WL 1590016 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Cty. May 18, 2026), the court denied defendant’s motion to dismiss plaintiff’s claim under the New York Adult Survivors Act (ASA), arising from an alleged sexual assault by four employees of Dow Jones & Company during an executive meeting in defendant’s…
Read More Adult Survivors Act (ASA) Complaint, Arising From Alleged Sexual Assault by Dow Jones & Company Employees, Survives DismissalIn a recent case, Jane Doe v. Leon Black, No. 23-CV-6418 (JGLC), 2026 WL 1102540 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 23, 2026), a case arising under the New York City Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law, the court considered and imposed sanctions against plaintiff and her counsel. Among other things, the court found that plaintiff’s counsel “lied repeatedly…
Read More Deletion of Twitter Account Gives Rise to Spoliation Sanctions in Lawsuit Against Leon Black
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In Wong v. Eason, No. 952133/2023, 2026 WL 909713 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. Mar. 30, 2026), the court denied defendant’s motion to dismiss her discrimination claims (but not her intentional infliction of emotional distress claim). From the decision: Plaintiff Winnie Wong, desirous of a career as a publicist in the music industry, began her career as…
Read More Discrimination, Assault, Battery, Sexual Harassment Claims (But Not Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress) Claims Survive DismissalIn O’Rear v. Armando Diaz et al, 24 Civ. 1669, 2025 WL 283169 (S.D.N.Y., Jan. 23, 2025), the court, inter alia, denied defendant’s motion to dismiss plaintiff’s claim of sexual harassment asserted under the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL). In this case, the plaintiff alleges that, after a holiday happy hour, defendant Diaz…
Read More Plaintiff Sufficiently Alleges Sexual Battery, Sexual Harassment Based on Alleged Company Holiday Party RapeIn Doe v. Fox Corp., No. 653743/2024, 2024 WL 4680514 (N.Y. Sup Ct, New York County Oct. 31, 2024), the court granted plaintiff’s (unopposed) motion to proceed via pseudonym. From the decision: The First Department has held that trial courts must exercise their discretion to limit the public nature of proceedings sparingly, and only when…
Read More Sexual Assault Plaintiff May Proceed Anonymously, Court HoldsIn a recent case, Louis v. Victor Niederhoffer, 2023 WL 8777015 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 19, 2023), the court dismissed plaintiff’s claims asserted under the Gender-Motivated Violence Law, N.Y.C. Admin. Code s. 10-1101 et seq. Her complaint describes conduct – including sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and rape – that plaintiff alleges occurred during her employment at Mr.…
Read More Gender-Motivated Violence Law Claims, Based on Alleged Conduct Before Law’s Passage, DismissedIn a recent decision, Doe v. Polovets, No. 9521022023, 2023 WL 8623613 (N.Y. Sup Ct, New York County Dec. 08, 2023), the New York State Supreme Court, NY County, denied plaintiff’s motion to proceed anonymously. The court summarized plaintiff’s allegations as follows: Plaintiff alleges, simply put, that defendant Stan Polovets, whom she met through a…
Read More Sexual Assault Plaintiff, in Lawsuit Against Stan Polovets et al, May Not Proceed Anonymously, Judge Engoron Rules
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In Crandall v. Equinox Holdings, Inc., 2022 NY Slip Op 34161(U), Index No. 157373/2018 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. N.Y. Cty. Dec. 8, 2022) – arising from an alleged sexual assault in an Equinox steam room – the court, inter alia, denied plaintiff’s motion to vacate the Note of Issue, effectively precluding plaintiff from conducting depositions of…
Read More Failure to Comply With Court Order Results in Waiver of DepositionsIt was recently reported that former professional boxer Mike Tyson punched fellow airline passenger Melvin Townsend III. More details are emerging, and it appears that there are disputed versions of the event (regarding, among other things, whether Townsend threw a water bottle at Tyson). Let’s assume that this case proceeded to litigation against Tyson, and…
Read More Mike Tyson, Battery, Planes, and Provocation