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In Baldwin v. Foxx, EEOC Appeal No. 0120133080 (July 15, 2015), the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has taken the position that discrimination based on sexual orientation is discrimination based on “sex” and actionable under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII prohibits discrimination based on, among other things, “sex,” but…

Read More EEOC: Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation is Discrimination Based on “Sex” in Violation of Title VII
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Most people, especially this guy, know that saying the word “bomb” in/near an airplane or airport is a bad idea. In Baez v. JetBlue, 14-2754-cv (2nd Cir. July 16, 2015), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of an irate passenger’s lawsuit arising from actions taken by JetBlue and its employee in…

Read More Airline and Agent Not Liable for False Arrest, Defamation, etc. For Reporting Angry Passenger’s Bomb Comment
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Model/actress Shoshana Roberts made headlines awhile back when she made a video, titled “10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman”, to illustrate the issue of “street harassment”. In a recently-filed $500,000 lawsuit, she asserts against various defendants (including Rob Bliss Creative LLC, Hollaback! Inc., Google, and YouTube) the following claims: [Q]uantum meruit, breach of…

Read More Street Harassment Model Shoshana Roberts’ Lawsuit Against Google, Hollaback!, etc.
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In Roberts v. UPS, 13-cv-6161 (Eastern District of New York), a jury recently awarded a discrimination plaintiff $50,000 in compensatory damages and $50,000 in punitive damages under the New York City Human Rights Law ($25k compensatory for discrimination, $25k punitive for discrimination, $25k compensatory for retaliation, $25k punitive for retaliation). Federal subject matter jurisdiction was…

Read More $100,000 Jury Verdict for Victim of Sexual Orientation Discrimination and Harassment
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In O’Grady v. Bluecrest Capital Mgmt. LLP, No. 15-CV-1108 SHS, 2015 WL 3740701 (S.D.N.Y. June 15, 2015), the court dismissed, under FRCP 12(b)(6), plaintiff’s claims for a bonus and severance pay. This case illustrates that courts will look to the terms of an employee’s employment agreement when assessing those claims. As to plaintiff’s claim for a…

Read More Court Rejects Terminated Employee’s Claim to Bonus and Severance
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In Chaney v. Starbucks Corporation, 2015 WL 3883251 (SDNY June 23, 2015), a trip-and-fall case, the Southern District of New York granted Starbucks’ motion for summary judgment dismissing the case. The facts, from the opinion: On August 9, 2013, plaintiff John Chaney went to a Starbucks café in the Bronx for lunch. Upon entry, he…

Read More Starbucks Granted Dismissal in Phone Charger Trip/Fall Case
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On June 29, 2015, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed law number 2015/063, a Local Law to amend the NYC Administrative code in relation to prohibiting discrimination based on one’s arrest record or criminal conviction. The amendments are reflected here (website URL here). The law, also known as the “Fair Chance Act“, was effectively designed to “ban the…

Read More NYC Law Amended to “Ban the Box” Pertaining to Arrest Record or Criminal Conviction
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In Figueroa v. Johnson, 109 F. Supp. 3d 532 (EDNY 2015), the Eastern District of New York dismissed plaintiff’s “quid pro quo” sexual harassment claim due to lack of temporal proximity. The court explained: Under Title VII, a plaintiff may seek relief for sex discrimination under two theories: (1) quid pro quo or (2) hostile…

Read More Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment Claim Fails Where Too Much Time Passes Between the “Quid” and the “Quo”
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In Levin v. Mercedes-Benz Manhattan, Inc., 2015 NY Slip Op 06025 (App. Div. 1 Dept. July 9, 2015), a personal injury case, the Appellate Division, First Department affirmed a summary judgment for plaintiff under the doctrine of “res ipsa loquitur“. Generally, res ipsa loquitur permits a factfinder to infer negligence based upon the sheer occurrence of…

Read More Res Ipsa Loquitur Applicable; Plaintiff Granted Summary Judgment in Garage Door Fall Personal Injury Case
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