Employment Discrimination

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A recent Southern District of New York decision, Fitzgerald v Signature Flight Support Corp., 13 CV 4026 VB, 2014 WL 3887217 [SDNY Aug. 5, 2014], is illustrative of how a plaintiff may plausibly allege age discrimination under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967. There was no dispute that plaintiff satisfied the first three elements…

Read More Selective Enforcement of “Sleeping on the Job” Rules Plausibly Supports Age Discrimination Claim
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In Moll v. Telesector Resources Group, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in a July 24, 2014 decision) vacated the district court’s dismissal of plaintiff’s sex-based hostile work environment claim. Plaintiff alleged, inter alia: [I]n 1998 and 1999, Daniel Irving, a Senior Systems Analyst, left Moll three inappropriate notes. And in 1999,…

Read More Non-Sexual Comments Can Still Give Rise to a Sex-Based Hostile Work Environment, Second Circuit Holds
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One way to prove discrimination is by introducing evidence of negative comments pertaining to the plaintiff’s protected class or about others in the plaintiff’s protected class. But what if some, or all, of the derogatory comments are not directly perceived by the harassment victim? That is one of the issues addressed by the Southern District…

Read More Secondhand “Incendiary” Comments Regarding Sexual Orientation Sufficient to State Hostile Work Environment Claim
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In Lapaix v. City of New York (decided Aug. 12, 2014), the Southern District of New York held that plaintiff – a retired Marine Colonel – adequately pleaded various employment discrimination claims. Here’s plaintiff’s complaint. Initially the court held that plaintiff stated military status discrimination claims under the federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) and the New…

Read More Retired Marine States Military Status, Race, and National Origin Discrimination Claims
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The sudden and tragic suicide of Robin Williams has reinvigorated a national discussion about depression and related conditions. What you may not know is that depression sufferers have legal protections in the workplace, specifically if they are treated unfairly because of their medical condition. Various laws – including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990…

Read More Depression as a “Disability” Under the Anti-Discrimination Laws
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Here is the complaint filed on August 8, 2014 against Urban Outfitters. Plaintiff alleges that she was subjected to sexual harassment by customers and store personnel, constructive discharge, and retaliation. (Update: In a June 9, 2015 decision, the court denied defendant’s motion to dismiss.) From her complaint: From the beginning of Plaintiff’s employment, Defendant [], despite being…

Read More Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Urban Outfitters
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In Semmler v. County of Monroe, decided August 6, 2014, the Western District of New York reiterated that not all complaints of perceived discrimination will constitute “protected activity” necessary to make out a claim of retaliation. Specifically: A plaintiff cannot establish a prima facie case of retaliation [under Title VII] unless she has engaged in protected activity.…

Read More Not Every Complaint of Discrimination is “Protected Activity” Sufficient to Give Rise to a Retaliation Claim
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In Nielsen v. AECOM Technology Corp. (decided August 8, 2014), the Second Circuit clarified the standard to be applied when evaluating whistleblower retaliation claims under Section 806 the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, codified at 18 U.S.C. § 1514A (SOX). Congress enacted SOX “[t]o safeguard investors in public companies and restore trust in the financial markets following the collapse of…

Read More Second Circuit Clarifies SOX Whistleblowing Standard
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In Dorgan v. Suffolk County Community College, 12-cv-0330 (EDNY Aug. 4, 2014), the Eastern District of New York granted defendants summary judgment on plaintiff’s claim of disability discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Plaintiff, who was diagnosed with bipolar II disorder, alleged that defendants subjected her to discrimination and terminated her based on…

Read More Decision: Bipolar Plaintiff’s Disability Discrimination Case Dismissed
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In Abrams v. Department of Public Safety, decided July 14, 2014, the Second Circuit vacated summary judgment in defendants’ favor on plaintiff’s race discrimination claims under Title VII and the Equal Protection Clause (pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983). Plaintiff, an African American detective, argued that he was discriminated against by, among other things, not being…

Read More “Better Fit” Remarks Sufficient to Defeat Summary Judgment in Race Discrimination Case, Second Circuit Holds
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