Retaliation

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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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Here are recently-filed papers – including the supporting Affirmation, Opposition, and Reply (without exhibits) – relating to plaintiff Hanna Bouveng’s request for a temporary restraining order and/or preliminary injunction preventing defendant Benjamin Wey from intimidating and harassing plaintiff and her family, friends, colleagues, and business acquaintances. In this sexual harassment lawsuit, plaintiff alleges that while employed…

Read More Sexual Harassment Plaintiff Alleges Witness Intimidation and Post-Termination Harassment by Alleged Harasser Benjamin Wey
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The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a federal lawsuit on July 31, 2014 against Seapod Pawnbrokers, a Brooklyn and Queens-based business, alleging that its owner harassed workers because of their sex, race, and ethnicity, and then fired them for complaining. According to the agency’s press release, the harassment included referring to employees, most of whom were…

Read More EEOC Lawsuit Alleges Sexual Harassment, Hostile Work Environment, Race Discrimination, National Origin Discrimination, and Retaliation Against Seapod Pawnbrokers
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In Lozada v. Elmont Fire Dept., decided July 22, 2014, the New York State Division of Human Rights found that complainant, volunteer firefighter Beatrie Lozada, was subjected to a sexually hostile work environment in violation of the New York State Human Rights Law. It dismissed, however, her claims that she was subject to discrimination based on…

Read More “Badonkadonk” Sexual Harassment Results in $60,000 Award to Volunteer Firefighter
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Here is the sexual harassment lawsuit, captioned Maysa Abdel-Razeq v. Alvarez & Marsal, Inc. et al., 14-CV-5601, recently filed in the Southern District of New York against defendants Alvarez & Marsal, Inc., Paul Aversano, Anthony Caporrino, and Joel Poretsky. Plaintiff alleges that she was subjected to hostile work environment sexual harassment and race discrimination, and then…

Read More Lawsuit Alleges Hostile Work Environment Sexual Harassment, Race Discrimination, and Retaliation Against Alvarez & Marsal and Others
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Kirkland v. Cablevision Systems, decided by the Second Circuit on July 25, 2014, is an example of when summary judgment is inappropriate in an employment discrimination case. The court vacated the district court’s grant of summary judgment for defendant employer Cablevision Systems on pro se plaintiff Garry Kirkland’s race discrimination and retaliation claims under Title VII of…

Read More Second Circuit Vacates Summary Judgment for Employer in Race Discrimination Case
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Goonan v. Federal Reserve Bank of New York, decided July 22, 2014, illustrates an employer’s obligation to reasonably accommodate employees with known disabilities and to engage in an “interactive process” to determine what accommodation(s) are appropriate. Plaintiff, who worked for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for 25 years, suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder…

Read More 9/11-Related PTSD Disability Discrimination Case Continues
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In Lyman v. New York and Presbyterian Hospital, decided July 14, 2014, the Southern District of New York denied defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s disability discrimination and retaliation claims. This decision illustrates that “[b]ecause direct evidence of an employer’s discriminatory intent will rarely be found, affidavits and depositions must be carefully scrutinized for circumstantial…

Read More “Problem” Employee Presents Enough Evidence of Disability Discrimination to Survive Summary Judgment
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In Echevarria v. Insight Medical, P.C. et al, SDNY Case No. 13-cv-03710, a federal jury recently awarded a plaintiff $50,000 in compensatory damages ($0 in punitive damages) in her sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against a Bronx medical practice and its principals. Plaintiff alleged that one individual defendant sexually harassed her – by, for example, sending her unwanted text messages…

Read More Jury Awards $50,000 to Plaintiff on Retaliation Claims in Sexual Harassment Lawsuit
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