Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment

In Bouveng v. NYG Capital LLC et al, 175 F.Supp.3d 280 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 31, 2016), Judge Gardephe – in a lengthy and thoughtful opinion – ruled on defendants’ post-trial motions following a jury’s verdict in favor of, and considerable award to, Hanna Bouveng in her sexual harassment lawsuit against various defendants, including Benjamin Wey. Among…

Read More SDNY Upholds Jury Verdict on Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment Claims Against Benjamin Wey et al
Share This:

In a lawsuit recently filed in Manhattan federal court (Ravina v. Columbia University, 16-cv-02137), the plaintiff – an Assistant Professor of Finance at Columbia University – alleges (among other things) that after enduring quid pro quo sexual harassment by a tenured professor, “Columbia refused to stop his discriminatory behavior”, “allowed [plaintiff] to continue to be victimized…

Read More Professor Files Sexual Harassment and Retaliation Lawsuit Against Columbia University
Share This:

In Llanos v. T-Mobile USA, Inc., 132 A.D.3d 823, 824, 18 N.Y.S.3d 666, 667 (N.Y. App. Div. 2d Dept. 2015), the Second Dept. reversed a state court decision dismissing plaintiff’s claims under section 8-107 of the NYC Administrative Code (aka the NYC Human Rights Law/NYCHRL). Plaintiff alleged in her complaint that she was subjected to employment discrimination, quid…

Read More Discrimination Claims Under Comparatively Broad NYC Human Rights Law Were Not Duplicative of State Law Claims
Share This:

In Lekettey v. City of New York, No. 15-1169-CV, 2016 WL 482109 (2d Cir. Feb. 8, 2016), the court affirmed a lower court’s dismissal of plaintiff’s complaint alleging sexual harassment. There are generally two theories of sexual harassment recognized under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: (1) “quid pro quo” sexual harassment,…

Read More Sexual Harassment Allegations Insufficiently Alleged, Notwithstanding Assertion of “Fondling”
Share This:

In a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court on January 19, 2016, Mikolaenko v. NYU School of Medicine et al (16-cv-00413), plaintiff – a doctor – asserts (among other things) that her supervisor threatened to give her poor reviews and terminate her unless she had sex with him, propositioned plaintiff for sex, and made inappropriate…

Read More Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against NYU School of Medicine and Others
Share This:

“Sexual harassment” is one type of unlawful discrimination based on “sex” under various statutes, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The term “quid pro quo” is a Latin phrase that means “this for that”. In the context of employment discrimination/sexual harassment law, it has a specific meaning. “Sexual harassment claims are…

Read More What is “Quid Pro Quo” Sexual Harassment?
Share This:

In New York, particularly New York City, employees are protected against discrimination (including sexual harassment and retaliation) by various laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the New York State Human Rights Law, and the New York City Human Rights Law. Although these laws are similar in some respects, they differ…

Read More Individual Liability For Sexual Harassment Requires Participation, Court Holds
Share This:

In Britt v. Thermald Realty I, LP, No. 13 CIV. 8289 KPF, 2015 WL 4922977 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 18, 2015), the court dismissed the plaintiff’s claims of “quid pro quo” and “hostile work environment” sexual harassment, as well as his retaliation claim. In sum, plaintiff – a superintendent for East Village property owner Thermald Realty – alleged that…

Read More Court Dismisses Superintendent’s Sexual Harassment Claims
Share This:

In Rodriguez v. New York City Health & Hospitals Corp., No. 14 CIV. 4960 BMC, 2015 WL 5229850 (E.D.N.Y. Sept. 8, 2015), the Eastern District of New York granted defendant summary judgment on plaintiff’s sexual orientation discrimination and quid pro quo sexual harassment claims. In sum, plaintiff alleged that “he was denied employment by defendants…

Read More Hiring of Better-Qualified Candidate, Notwithstanding “Unprofessional and Coarse” Text Messages, Defeats Sexual Orientation Discrimination (Failure-to-Hire) Claim
Share This:

In Nunez v. New York State Dep’t of Corr. & Cmty. Supervision, No. 14-CV-6647 JMF, 2015 WL 4605684 (S.D.N.Y. July 31, 2015), the court held that plaintiff – a parole officer – plausibly alleged sexual harassment under the New York City Human Rights Law, but not the New York State Human Rights Law. Plaintiff alleged that…

Read More Parole Officer Sufficiently Alleges Sexual Harassment Under NYC Human Rights Law
Share This: