Wage & Hour Issues

In Motta v. Glob. Contract Servs. Inc., No. 15 CV 8555 (LGS), 2016 WL 2642229 (S.D.N.Y. May 4, 2016), the court dismissed plaintiff’s retaliation and discriminatory pay claims as insufficiently pled. While the court held that the complaint was deficient, its decision is nevertheless instructive as to what must be alleged in order to survive a…

Read More SDNY Explains Discriminatory Pay, Retaliation Pleading Deficiencies
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In Tulino v. City of New York, No. 15-CV-7106 (JMF), 2016 WL 2967847 (S.D.N.Y. May 19, 2016), the court held that plaintiff sufficiently alleged a gender-based hostile work environment claim under the NYC Human Rights Law. In her amended complaint, plaintiff alleged (among other things) that defendant “created and perpetuated a culture that essentially required female…

Read More Plaintiff States Hostile Work Environment Sexual Harassment Claim; Alleges She Was Called a “Slut” and “Dick Climber”
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In Wigdor v. SoulCycle, LLC, 2016 NY Slip Op 04118 (App. Div. 1st Dept. May 26, 2016), the Appellate Division, First Department affirmed the dismissal of attorney Doug Wigdor’s retaliation claim against SoulCycle. In his complaint, which I wrote about here, Mr. Wigdor alleged that SoulCycle banned him from its premises after he filed a…

Read More Lawyer Lacks Standing to Assert Retaliation Claim, Court Holds
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In a recently-filed lawsuit, captioned Jones v. Trevor Tahiem Smith (a/k/a Busta Rhymes), 16-cv-2194 (EDNY filed 5/3/16), plaintiff – a chauffeur for the rapper known as Busta Rhymes – asserts that he was not paid wages or overtime to which he was entitled, and subjected to age discrimination. He asserts, for example, that Mr. Rhymes told…

Read More Wage and Age Discrimination Lawsuit Against Busta Rhymes
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In Lopez v. Advantage Plumbing & Mech. Corp., No. 15-CV-4507 (AJN), 2016 WL 1268274 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 31, 2016), the court held, among other things, that plaintiffs could amend their complaint to add a national origin discrimination (hostile work environment) claim under the NYC Human Rights Law (but not federal or state law) based on defendants’ “English-only”…

Read More “English Only” National Origin Discrimination Hostile Work Environment Claim Plausibly Alleged Under NYC Human Rights Law
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In a recently-filed class action complaint, captioned Suchowieski et al v. Verboten (EDNY 16-cv-01295 filed 3/15/16), plaintiffs allege that Brooklyn nightclub and their owners – Jen Schiffer and her husband, John Perez – committed various acts of wrongdoing against their employees. The complaint alleges, for example, that “[d]efendants’ female employees are subjected to persistent sexual…

Read More Sexual Harassment, Hostile Work Environment, and Wage Lawsuit Against Brooklyn Club Verboten
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In a recent complaint, captioned Johnson v. J. Walter Thompson U.S.A., LLC et al, SDNY 16-cv-01805 filed March 10, 2016, plaintiff asserts various employment-related claims – including gender discrimination, race discrimination, hostile work environment, sexual harassment, and retaliation – against J. Walter Thompson and its Chair/CEO Gustavo Martinez. Among the disturbing allegations: Despite Johnson’s success as…

Read More Race/Gender Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Hostile Work Environment, Retaliation Lawsuit Against J. Walter Thompson and Gustavo Martinez
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In Lenzi v. Systemax, Inc., No. 14-CV-7509 SJF, 2015 WL 6507842 (E.D.N.Y. Oct. 26, 2015), the court held that the female plaintiff stated a claim under the federal and New York state Equal Pay Acts. The law, per the court: The federal Equal Pay Act, 29 U.S.C. § 206(d)(1) prohibits employers from discriminating between employees on…

Read More Female Plaintiff Plausibly Alleges Equal Pay Act Violations
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Nannies (live-in and otherwise) are a prominent feature of many wealthy households, particularly those in New York City. The familial nature of the relationship may blur the line between what is proper and improper conduct. For example, the “workplace” is typically not an office, but rather the employer’s home; negotiations may be held at the kitchen…

Read More Nanny Rights: Special Protections for “Domestic Workers” in New York
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