Sexual Harassment

by

A federal court recently allowed plaintiff Michael Picarella, a now former HSBC senior vice president, to amend his complaint in his lawsuit against HSBC. The action, currently pending in the Southern District of New York, is captioned Picarella v. HSBC Securities (USA) Inc., 14-cv-04463. In his first amended complaint, filed 8/27/14, plaintiff alleged (among other…

Read More Fired HSBC Executive May Amend Complaint to Assert Retaliatory Termination
Share This:
by

In Holcomb v. State Univ. of New York at Fredonia, No. 12CV673A, 2015 WL 1280442 (W.D.N.Y. Mar. 20, 2015), the Western District of New York denied defendants’ motion to compel the plaintiff to respond to questions relating to her romantic experiences with her colleagues. In this case, plaintiff sued under Title VII of the Civil…

Read More Sexual Harassment Victim’s Romantic Relationships With Colleagues Off-Limits for Discovery, Court Rules
Share This:
by

More lawyers (allegedly) behaving badly. Here is the complaint, captioned Chechelnitsky v. McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP, SDNY 15-cv-01777 (March 10, 2015), filed in the Southern District of New York on March 10, 2015 containing allegations of sexual harassment by an associate attorney against Newark, NJ-based law firm McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter. Plaintiff…

Read More Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Law Firm McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter
Share This:
by

In Heiser v. Collorafi et al. (NDNY March 9, 2015), the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York held that plaintiff, a former employee of the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, sufficiently alleged hostile work environment sexual harassment under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of…

Read More Inappropriate Emails and Sexual Comments Plausibly Support Sexual Harassment Hostile Work Environment Claim
Share This:
by

In Lashley v. New Life Bus. Inst., Inc., No. 13 CIV. 2683 BMC, 2015 WL 1014128 (E.D.N.Y. Mar. 9, 2015), the Eastern District of New York upheld a jury verdict in favor of Corey Lashley on his quid pro quo and hostile work environment sexual harassment claims. In this case, plaintiff Corey Lashley alleged, among other things,…

Read More Court Upholds Jury’s Verdict that Male Plaintiff Endured Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment by Female Boss
Share This:
by

In Overbeck v. Alpha Animal Health, P.C. (App. Div. 2nd Dept. Jan. 28, 2015), the Appellate Division, Second Department reversed the lower court’s order granting summary judgment to defendants on plaintiff’s sex discrimination and retaliation claims under the New York State and City Human Rights Laws. This decision illustrates that even “voluntary” sexual conduct –…

Read More Evidence of Intimidation Into Sexual Relationship Overcomes Summary Judgment for Defendants on Sex Discrimination and Retaliation Claims
Share This:
by

In Figueroa v. RSquared NY Inc. (EDNY March 3, 2015), the Eastern District of New York held that plaintiff stated a claim for “quid pro quo” sexual harassment under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the New York State Human Rights Law. In sum, plaintiff alleged that while on a leave of absence…

Read More Conditioning Return to Work on “Hooking Up” With “De Facto Supervisor” is Plausible Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment Theory, Court Holds
Share This:
by

In a federal court complaint captioned Pereyra v. Toys “R” Us Property Co. et al., 15-cv-00048 (SDNY Jan. 6, 2015), plaintiff alleges discrimination on the basis of sex/gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, retaliation, and constructive discharge. Plaintiff alleges, among other things, that his supervisor harassed him by calling him a “fag” and saying making…

Read More Discrimination Lawsuit Against Toys “R” Us
Share This:
by

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Seapod Pawnbrokers have entered into a consent decree resolving a lawsuit, EEOC v. Seapod Pawnbrokers, Inc. et al., EDNY 14-cv-4567. (Here is the EEOC press release.) In its October 2014 amended complaint, the EEOC alleges that defendants violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by subjecting female employees to…

Read More $300K Consent Decree in EEOC’s Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Seapod Pawnbrokers
Share This: