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 ActionIn 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 LawNot 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”?A recent decision, Frazier v. City of New York Dep’t of Correction, No. 14-CV-1224 (KAM)(PK), 2016 WL 4444775 (E.D.N.Y. Aug. 23, 2016), addressed whether certain alleged actions were “adverse employment actions” sufficient to support a proposed complaint amendment to add a claim of retaliation. Initially, the court addressed the procedural issue of whether plaintiff should be…
Read More Court Rejects Motion to Amend Complaint to Add Retaliation Claim; Informal Reprimands Were Not “Adverse Employment Actions”In Miller v. Kendall, No. 14-CV-393, 2016 WL 4472748 (W.D.N.Y. Aug. 25, 2016), the court held that plaintiff plausibly alleged disability discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The court declined to adopt a Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation to dismiss plaintiff’s ADA claim. This decision addresses the issue of what constitutes “essential functions” of one’s…
Read More State Trooper’s ADA Disability Discrimination Claim Survives Dismissal, Notwithstanding Doctor’s NoteIn Johnson v IAC/Interactive Corp., 2016 NY Slip Op 31520(U) (NY Sup. Ct. Index No. 155837 /14 Aug. 12, 2016), an employment discrimination case, the court evaluated the parties’ motions to compel discovery (per CPLR 3124) and for sanctions and/or evidence preclusion (per CPLR 3126). The court held, among other things, that plaintiff was entitled to…
Read More Court Orders Discovery Relating to Termination of Similarly-Situated Employees in Gender Discrimination CaseA female partner at the law firm of Chadbourne & Parke LLP filed a Manhattan federal lawsuit (captioned Kerrie Campbell v. Chadbourne & Parke LLP et al, SDNY 16-cv-6832), which “seeks relief on behalf of herself and other female Partners who have been disparately underpaid, systematically shut out of Firm leadership, demoted, de-equitized and terminated.”
Read More Gender Discrimination Class-Action Lawsuit Against Chadbourne & ParkeIn Conforti v. Sunbelt Rentals, Inc., No. 15-cv-5045, 2016 WL 4288699 (E.D.N.Y. Aug. 15, 2016), the court held that the Plaintiff “satisfied the minimal showing required at this motion to dismiss stage to plausibly allege that the Defendant’s decision to terminate her employment … was motivated at least in part by a discriminatory reason.” Judge Spatt…
Read More Replacement By Men, Sexist Comments, Etc. Among Facts That Plausibly Alleged Gender DiscriminationIn Redfern-Wallace v. Buffalo News, Inc., No. 12-CV-471, 2016 WL 4361129 (W.D.N.Y. Aug. 16, 2016), the court adopted a Magistrate’s Report & Recommendation that defendants’ motions for summary judgment dismissing plaintiff’s discriminatory-discharge, hostile work environment, and retaliation claims be granted. As to plaintiff’s discriminatory-discharge claim, the court explained: Based on the undisputed facts, it is clear that…
Read More Crass Text Messages to Co-Worker, Not Discrimination, Were Reason For Termination; “Niagara”, “Chia Pet” Comments Did Not Constitute Hostile Work EnvironmentToday, in Vasquez v. Empress Ambulance Service, 15-3239-cv (2d Cir. Aug. 29, 2016), the Second Circuit – in an opinion authored by Judge Calabresi – vacated a lower court’s dismissal of plaintiff’s retaliation claim under Title VII, and explicitly held “that an employer may be held liable for an employee’s animus under a ‘cat’s paw’…
Read More Second Circuit Reinstates Retaliation Claim Based on “Cat’s Paw” Theory