In Matter of JPK Imports/Oneonta, Inc. v. New York State Div. of Human Rights, 2021 NY Slip Op 02336 (App. Div. 3d Dept. April 15, 2021) – a disability discrimination case – the court upheld the New York State Division of Human Rights’ (SDHR) imposition of a civil fine of $20,000 (and held that the…
Read More Greater Civil Fine in “Serious and Deliberate” Disability Discrimination Was WarrantedIn Pustilnik v. Battery Park City Authority et al, No. 150138/2020, 2021 N.Y. Slip Op. 21087, 2021 WL 1324212 (NY Sup. Ct. NY Cty. Apr. 8, 2021), the court, inter alia, denied defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiff’s claim of disability discrimination asserted under the New York City Human Rights Law.[1]The court also denied defendants’ motion to…
Read More Disability Discrimination Claim Survives Dismissal Against the Battery Park City AuthorityIn Saborit v. Harlem Hospital Center Auxiliary, Inc., et al, 19-cv-4686, 2021 WL 1063241 (S.D.N.Y. March 19, 2021), the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (in an opinion authored by Judge Lewis Liman) denied defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s disability discrimination claims asserted under the Americans with Disabilities Act,…
Read More HIV+ Plaintiff’s Disability Discrimination Claims Survive Summary Judgment Against Harlem Hospital CenterIn Biggan v. City of New York et al, No. 13359, 2019-5666, 21758/14, 2021 N.Y. Slip Op. 01501, 2021 WL 966681 (N.Y.A.D. 1 Dept., Mar. 16, 2021), the court, inter alia, unanimously affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s employment discrimination claim. From the decision: Plaintiff, a former custodian for the New York City Police Department (N.Y.PD),…
Read More “Dope” T-Shirt Employment Discrimination Dismissal AffirmedIn Hyacinthe v. City of New York, No. 151812/2020, 2021 WL 619320, 2021 N.Y. Slip Op. 30443(U) (N.Y. Sup Ct, New York County Feb. 17, 2021), the court, inter alia, denied defendant’s motion to dismiss plaintiff’s disability discrimination claim under the New York City Human Rights Law. The court summarized the facts (specifically pertinent to…
Read More NYPD Officer’s Disability Discrimination Claim Survives DismissalIn Black v. ESPN, Inc. et al, No. 155236/2020, 2021 N.Y. Slip Op. 50118(U), 2021 WL 668760 (Sup Ct NY Cty, Feb. 19, 2021), the court denied defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiff’s disability discrimination, hostile work environment, and retaliation claims asserted under the New York State and City Human Rights Laws. In sum, plaintiff, a…
Read More Disability Discrimination, Hostile Work Environment, & Retaliation Claims Sufficiently Alleged Against ESPN et alIn Gordon v. Consolidated Edison Inc., 2021 NY Slip Op 00492 (App. Div. 1st Dept. Jan. 28, 2021), the court held that plaintiff presented sufficient evidence to proceed on her failure-to-accommodate-disability discrimination claim under the New York State Human Rights Law. In sum, plaintiff, who worked for defendant as a financial analyst, suffered from irritable…
Read More Medical Marijuana/IBD Sufferer Presents Sufficient Facts to Proceed on Failure-to-Accommodate ClaimIn Lettau v. 1199 Seiu Nat. Ben. Fund, No. 158020/2018, 2021 WL 143478, 2021 N.Y. Slip Op. 30122(U), 5–6 (N.Y. Sup Ct, New York County Jan. 15, 2021), the court, inter alia, granted defendant’s motion for summary judgment dismissing plaintiff’s disability discrimination claim asserted under the New York City Human Rights Law. From the decision:…
Read More Disability Discrimination Claim Dismissed; Unexcused Absences, Not Disability, Justified TerminationIn Payne v. Cornell University, 2021 WL 39684 (N.D.N.Y. Jan. 5, 2021), the court, inter alia, dismissed plaintiff’s hostile work environment claim. The court explained: [E]ven if Plaintiff had properly supported her claims, the Court would find that the complained-of conduct is not sufficiently severe or pervasive to alter the conditions of Plaintiff’s employment. Courts…
Read More Hostile Work Environment Claim Dismissed; Denial of Time Off and a Negative Evaluation InsufficientIn a recently-updated (December 16, 2020) document titled “What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws“, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) addressed (in section “K.”), the issue of vaccinations in the context of COVID-19. For example, the EEOC takes the position that: The vaccination itself…
Read More EEOC Updates Guidance Regarding Vaccinations