Hostile Work Environment

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On Friday, the Second Circuit held in Colquitt v. Xerox Corp. (Summary Order) that plaintiff’s employment discrimination claims that were not raised – or “administratively exhausted” – in the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) were properly dismissed from plaintiff’s lawsuit. In Colquitt, plaintiff alleged that she was subjected to (1) a race-based denial of phone privileges and…

Read More Second Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Employment Discrimination Claims Not Raised in the EEOC
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On October 28, 2013, the Southern District of New York issued its opinion in Guzman v. NY Post, holding that plaintiff Sandra Guzman presented sufficient evidence to proceed on her hostile work environment, discriminatory termination, and retaliation claims. The decision was (I am sure happily) covered by the Daily News here. Plaintiff is a black, Hispanic, Puerto Rican…

Read More Hostile Work Environment, Sexual Harassment, and Race/National Origin Claims Continue Against New York Post and Col Allan
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In Colon v. Fashion Institute of Technology, the Southern District of New York ruled on employment discrimination and retaliation claims brought by two plaintiffs, both Hispanic women, against FIT.  It considered claims brought by Genette Colon, a student aide, and Elvimar Rivas, a secretary, under various laws, including the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA),…

Read More Court Rules on Discrimination and Retaliation Claims Against Fashion Institute of Technology
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Below and here is the sexual harassment lawsuit filed by Sherina Thomas against EONY and EONY’s owner David Shavolian in the Supreme Court of New York (Index No. 158961/2013). Plaintiff alleges, among other things, that defendant Shavolian forced plaintiff to show him her breasts and proceeded to “fondl[e]” and “jiggl[e]” them; asked her whether she “shave[s]…

Read More Sexual Harassment Complaint Alleges Supervisor Made Sexually Explicit Remarks and Forced Plaintiff to Watch Him Urinate
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New York State Senator Liz Krueger has introduced legislation (Bill No. S05951) that will “[p]rovide certain civil rights protections for interns.”   It was motivated by a recent court decision, Wang v. Phoenix, which held that unpaid interns are not protected by the New York City Human Rights Law. (It is interesting that state intern-protection legislation would…

Read More State Senator Introduces Intern-Protective Legislation
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Below and here is the complaint, captioned Pino v. Brooks Brothers Group, Inc. et al., 13-CV-5022, filed by a female factory worker against Brooks Brothers and related entities in the Eastern District of New York. Plaintiff asserts claims of gender discrimination, race discrimination, national origin discrimination, and retaliation. Among other things, plaintiff alleges that her supervisor and…

Read More Brooks Brothers Sexual Harassment Lawsuit
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In Wingfield v. Rochester School for the Deaf, the Western District of New York recently clarified that not all employment decisions that affect employees at work are “employment actions” sufficient to support a claim of employment discrimination. In Wingfield, plaintiff and her ex-husband worked at defendant. Following an altercation, family court issued a temporary order of…

Read More All Actions Affecting Workers Are Not Necessarily “Employment Actions” For Purposes of the Discrimination Laws
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In a Summary Order issued today in Mendez-Nouel v. Gucci America, Inc., the Second Circuit affirmed summary judgment for defendant Gucci on plaintiff’s same-sex hostile work environment/sexual harassment and retaliation claims. Harassment/Hostile Work Environment Initially, the Court explained the legal standard for sexual harassment claims: [F]or sexual harassment to be actionable, it must be sufficiently severe…

Read More Second Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Same-Sex Hostile Work Environment/Harassment and Retaliation Claims
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Although unpaid interns recently obtained a court victory on the wage and hour front (i.e., a ruling that they are “employees” under federal and state wage/hour laws), Southern District Judge P. Kevin Castel recently issued them a defeat on the discrimination/harassment front. In Wang v. Phoenix Satellite Television US Inc., the court dismissed an intern’s…

Read More Court Holds That Unpaid Interns Are Not Protected From Sexual Harassment Under the New York City Human Rights Law
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The Northern District of New York recently held, in Hexemer v. General Electric, that plaintiff adequately pleaded retaliation for complaining about a co-worker’s discriminatory comments. Plaintiff, who was born in Iran and is of Persian descent, alleged that after she made a comment to two co-workers about how sitting at their desks led to weight…

Read More Iranian Plaintiff Sufficiently Alleged Retaliation After Firing For Complaining About Being Called “Uncivilized”
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