Employment Discrimination

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In Wellington v. Spencer-Edwards et al, 2019 WL 2764078 (S.D.N.Y. July 1, 2019), the court, inter alia, dismissed plaintiff’s race-based employment discrimination claim. Plaintiff, who identifies as Black and Hispanic, asserts that she was fired by defendant Spencer-Edwards (who is Black and of Jamaican descent) “because she was friendly with white teachers and staff at the…

Read More Court Dismisses “Interracial Association” Race Discrimination Case
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In Taylor v. Metropolitan Transportation Authority, 18-CV-1278, 2019 WL 2766502 (S.D.N.Y. July 2, 2019), the court discussed a common discovery issue in employment discrimination cases, namely, the extent to which a plaintiff may obtain through discovery entity-wide complaints of discrimination. In this case, plaintiff asserts claims of discrimination and retaliation, and specifically that her supervisor…

Read More Court Denies Motion to Compel Discovery of Religious Discrimination Complaints, Pending Supplemental Information Relating to FRCP 26(b)(1) Proportionality
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In Corso v. New York State Dept. of Corrections & Community Supervision, 2019 WL 2869573 (NDNY July 3, 2019), the court, inter alia, granted defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s hostile work environment claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. From the decision: Title VII does not impose “a general…

Read More Hostile Work Environment Claim Dismissed; Alleged Isolation, Hostile Comments and “Attitudes” (Etc.) Insufficient
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In Daniel v. T&M Protection Resources, LLC, 2019 WL 2754961 (2d Cir. July 2, 2019) (Summary Order), the court affirmed the lower court’s finding, after a bench trial, in defendant’s favor on plaintiff’s employment discrimination and hostile work environment claims. As to plaintiff’s hostile work environment claim, the court summarized the law as follows: In…

Read More Hostile Work Environment Not Established; Alleged Incidents Were “Only Mild or Isolated Instances of Harassment”
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In Borzon v. Green, et al., 18-2211 (2d Cir. July 2, 2019) (Summary Order), the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s race discrimination and retaliation claims under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights ACt of 1964. Plaintiff, who is white, alleged that shortly after his hiring, defendant was hired to serve as plaintiff’s…

Read More 2nd Circuit, Citing Negative Performance Reviews, Affirms Dismissal of White Plaintiff’s Title VII Discrimination and Retaliation Claims
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Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination because of (among other protected characteristics) race and color. A lesser-known federal law, 42 U.S.C. § 1981, as interpreted, also prohibits race discrimination in the making and enforcing of contracts (including the “at-will” employment relationship). While both prohibit race discrimination in employment, these federal…

Read More SCOTUS Grants Certiorari Petition to Review Causation Standard for Race Discrimination Claims Under 42 U.S.C. § 1981
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In Latif v. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, 2019 WL 2610985 (SDNY June 26, 2019), the court held that plaintiff’s claims of employment discrimination were subject to mandatory arbitration. In this case, plaintiff “alleges that, beginning in the fall of 2017, he became the target of, inter alia, inappropriate comments regarding his sexual orientation, inappropriate…

Read More Arbitration Compelled in Sexual Harassment Case, Notwithstanding New State Law
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In Cruz v. G-Star Inc. et al, 17-CV-7685, 2019 WL 2521299 (S.D.N.Y. June 19, 2019), an employment discrimination case involving (inter alia) allegations of sexual harassment, the court imposed sanctions under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37(e) on defendants for engaging in spoliation of evidence (electronically-stored information, or ESI). From the decision: Here, the circumstances…

Read More Court Imposes Spoliation Sanctions in Sexual Harassment Case
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In Osuan v. City of New York et al, 2019 WL 2544866, at *4 (S.D.N.Y. June 20, 2019), the court, inter alia, denied defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiff’s claim of retaliation under 42 U.S.C. 1981. From the decision: Here, Osuan lodged a complaint with human resources about Martin’s behavior and was terminated without explanation only…

Read More Section 1981 Retaliation Claim Sufficiently Alleged; Termination Two Weeks After HR Complaint Plausibly Indicated Causation
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On Wednesday, June 19, 2019, the New York State Legislature passed changes to state law regarding employment discrimination in general and sexual harassment in particular. In sum, the law (A8421 / S6577; version showing deletions/additions here), among other things: Provides increased protections for protected classes and special protections for employees who have been sexually harassed;…

Read More Legislature Passes Sweeping Amendments to NYS Human Rights Law
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