In Kleinman v. Fashion Institute of Technology, No. 16 CIV. 4348 (KPF), 2017 WL 3016940 (S.D.N.Y. July 14, 2017) (J. Failla), the court, inter alia, dismissed plaintiff’s hostile work environment claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Initially, the court noted that while the “Second Circuit has not yet decided whether a hostile work environment…
Read More Court Dismisses ADA Hostile Work Environment Claim Against FITIn Falcon v. City University of New York, 15-cv-3421, 2017 WL 2982980, (E.D.N.Y. July 10, 2017), the court held that plaintiff sufficiently alleged a claim of retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. From the decision: Plaintiff has alleged sufficient facts to survive 12(b)(6) scrutiny regarding retaliation against her internal complaint…
Read More Title VII Retaliation Claim, Based on Internal/Informal Complaint, Survives DismissalIn Dineley v. Coach, Inc., No. 16-cv-3197 (DLC), 2017 WL 2963499 (S.D.N.Y. July 11, 2017), the court denied defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s hostile work environment claim based on her disability (alcoholism). Initially, the court noted that while the Second Circuit has not yet decided whether the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides…
Read More Hostile Work Environment Claim, Based on Alcoholism Disability, Survives Summary JudgmentIn Batiste v. The City University of New York, No. 16-CV-3358 (VEC), 2017 WL 2912525 (S.D.N.Y. July 7, 2017) (J. Caproni), the court dismissed plaintiff’s discrimination, hostile work environment, and retaliation claims. Among other things, it held that plaintiff failed to exhaust her administrative remedies in the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). “To present a…
Read More Hostile Work Environment Claim Dismissed as Not Administratively Exhausted at the EEOCIn a terse Summary Order captioned Leena Varughese, M.D. v. Mount Sinai Medical Center et al, No. 15-1328, 2017 WL 2889483 (2d Cir. July 7, 2017), the Second Circuit affirmed the lower court’s judgment dismissing plaintiff’s discrimination, hostile work environment, and retaliation claims. From the Order: Review of the record and relevant case law here…
Read More 2d Circuit, Citing Plaintiff’s “Unacceptable Behavior”, Affirms Dismissal of Doctor’s Discrimination ClaimsIn Phillips v. Central New York Psychiatric Center, No. 16-cv-0219, 2017 WL 2869938 (N.D.N.Y. July 5, 2017), the court articulated and applied the legal framework for evaluating comments as evidence of unlawful discrimination. The court explained: Verbal comments provide evidence of discriminatory intent when the plaintiff shows that a nexus exists between the allegedly discriminatory…
Read More Race/Gender Discrimination Claims Dismissed; “Sloppy” Remark Was Not Race-BasedIn Cromwell-Gibbs v. Staybridge Suite Times Square, No. 16 CIV. 5169 (KPF), 2017 WL 2684063 (S.D.N.Y. June 20, 2017), the court dismissed plaintiff’s Title VII race-based hostile work environment claim. The facts, in sum: Plaintiff Merrill Cromwell-Gibbs, an African-American woman, is the former Director of Housekeeping at Defendant Staybridge Suites Times Square [] In 2015,…
Read More N-Word Email Insufficient to Create a Hostile Work Environment, Court HoldsIn Matter of Lozada v. Elmont Hook & Ladder Co. No. 1, 2017 NY Slip Op 04845 (N.Y. App. Div. 2d Dept. June 14, 2017), the court confirmed a determination by the New York State Division of Human Rights (NYSDHR) dismissing plaintiff’s sexual harassment claim as time-barred. The court summarized the law pertaining to administratively-filed hostile…
Read More NYSDHR Hostile Work Environment Sexual Harassment Claim Properly Dismissed as Time-Barred, Court HoldsIn Wooding v. Winthrop Univ. Hosp., No. 16-cv-4477, 2017 WL 2559942 (E.D.N.Y. June 12, 2017), the court held that plaintiff plausibly alleged a racially hostile work environment. It provides a summary/overview of the pleading standards for this type of claim: To establish a hostile work environment claim under federal and New York State law, a…
Read More Race-Based Hostile Work Environment Claim Sufficiently Alleged Against Winthrop University HospitalIn Wooding v. Winthrop University Hospital et al, No. 16-cv-4477, 2017 WL 2559942 (E.D.N.Y. June 12, 2017) (J. Spatt), the court granted in part and denied in part defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiff’s claims under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). It held that plaintiff plausibly alleged various claims, including race discrimination, retaliation, and hostile…
Read More Race Discrimination Plausibly Alleged Against Winthrop University Hospital; Complaint Referred to Use of the Word “Nigger” and “Coded” Racial Language