Employment Discrimination

In Dziedzic v. State University of New York at Oswego (decided Dec. 19, 2014), the Northern District of New York reiterated that, in order to establish a hostile work environment under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a plaintiff must establish two elements: [1] the workplace is permeated with discriminatory intimidation, ridicule,…

Read More Court Reiterates That Actionable Hostile Work Environment Must Be Related to Protected Class/Status
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In Turley v. ISG Lackawanna, the Second Circuit clarified the standards for awarding punitive damages in employment discrimination cases. It provides a good review of the law, as well as how it applies in specific cases. In this race discrimination case, the plaintiff “endured an extraordinary and steadily intensifying drumbeat of racial insults, intimidation, and…

Read More Second Circuit Weighs in on Punitive Damages in Employment Discrimination Cases
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In Sherman v. County of Suffolk, the Eastern District of New York addressed plaintiff’s discrimination claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The court held that plaintiff presented enough evidence to overcome summary judgment on his ADA discrimination claim: [W]hile the Plaintiff does not point to any direct evidence of discriminatory intent, such as derogatory…

Read More ADA-Based Discrimination and Retaliation, but not Hostile Work Environment, Claims Survive Summary Judgment
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In Gorman v. Covidien Sales, LLC, decided December 31, 2014, the Southern District of New York discussed the affirmative defense based on the so-called “after-acquired evidence” doctrine/defense. In this employment discrimination case, plaintiff sought “damages for alleged discrimination on the basis of military status and medical disability, retaliation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress during his…

Read More Defendants May Amend Answer to Assert the “After-Acquired Evidence” Defense in Discrimination Case Where Plaintiff Recorded Phone Conversations With Supervisor
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Here and below is the lawsuit, captioned Meyers v. Revlon, Inc. et al., 14-CV-10213, recently filed by Alan Meyers against Revlon, Inc. and Revlon Consumer Products Corp. Plaintiff alleges that defendant’s CEO/President Lorenzo Delpani subjected him to discrimination based on his race/ethnicity/religion (Jewish) and national origin. From the complaint: [R]eflecting his Anti-American and Anti-Semitic biases, Delpani treated…

Read More Lawsuit Alleges Anti-Semitic, Anti-American Discrimination/Harassment by Revlon CEO Lorenzo Delpani
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One of the ways to establish “pretext” in the employment discrimination/retaliation analysis is to point to “inconsistent employer explanations” for the employee’s termination. That is what happened in Encarnacion v. Isabella Geriatric Center, decided by the Southern District of New York on December 12, 2014. There, plaintiff, a nurse, alleged (among other things) that she…

Read More Court Denies Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment on Plaintiff’s Retaliation Claims, Citing Inconsistent and Contradictory Explanations for Termination
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Here is the complaint recently filed by plaintiff against his employer, Wall Street Languages, Ltd. (d/b/a Rennert International), alleging sexual harassment. Specifically, plaintiff claims that his male supervisor subjected him to numerous instances of harassing conduct, including asking plaintiff about the size of his penis and inviting him to an all-male, naked pool party.

Read More Same-Sex Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Wall Street Languages d/b/a Rennert International
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In Lewis v. Blackman Plumbing Supply Co. 51 F. Supp. 3d 289 (SDNY 2014), the Southern District of New York denied defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s claims that defendants terminated him because of his hip-related disability, failed to accommodate him, and subjected him to a hostile work environment. As to plaintiff’s discriminatory-discharge claim,…

Read More Evidence, Including Derogatory Comments About Plaintiff’s Walk, Was Sufficient to Overcome Summary Judgment on Plaintiff’s Disability Discrimination Claims
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Here is the employment discrimination complaint, filed 12/29/14 in the NY County Supreme Court, against Reem Bridals LLC et al. In it, plaintiff alleges disability discrimination under the New York City Human Rights Law. She alleges that defendant fired her shortly learning of her diagnosis with and hospitalization for a liver tumors, failed to accommodate her…

Read More Liver Tumor Disability Discrimination Lawsuit
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