Here is the complaint recently filed by NYPD Scuba Unit member Oscar Smith against the City of New York, captioned Smith v. City of New York et al., 14-cv-07945. Plaintiff alleges, among other things, discrimination based on his race, gender (due to gender stereotypes), perceived sexual orientation, and retaliation.
Read More Discrimination Lawsuit by NYPD Scuba Unit MemberHere and below is the gender discrimination lawsuit filed on 9/23/14 by former contract partner Jodi Ritter against law firm Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP. Plaintiff alleges, for example, that she “was regularly exposed to differential treatment and a persistent hostile and abusive work environment because of her sex and the gender stereotypes perpetrated…
Read More Attorney’s Gender Discrimination Lawsuit Against Law Firm Wilson ElserIn Abraham v. Chelsea Piers Mgt., Inc. (decided Oct. 7, 2014), the Appellate Division, First Department unanimously reversed the denial of defendant’s motion for summary judgment. Here are the facts of this tragic personal injury case, involving the drowning death of a trespasser: In the early morning hours of April 1, 2009 plaintiff’s decedent drowned in…
Read More Chelsea Piers Not Liable for Drunk Trespasser’s Drowning DeathIn EEOC v. Suffolk Laundry Services, 48 F.Supp.3d 497 (2014), the Eastern District of New York denied defendants’ motion for partial summary judgment on plaintiffs’ hostile work environment claims. (Here is the complaint and here is the EEOC press release about the lawsuit.) One point this decision makes is that “conduct directed at other employees is part of the…
Read More “Hostile Work Environment” Can Be Shown By Conduct Directed at Other EmployeesIn Elhorin v. Western Beef, Inc., the court denied defendants’ summary judgment motion seeking dismissal of plaintiff’s personal injury slip-and-fall lawsuit. Plaintiff alleged that he sustained injuries when he slipped and fell on a piece of cardboard on the floor of defendant’s supermarket. As is common in these cases, defendant argued that it did not…
Read More Slip/Fall Case Continues, Based on Statement by Store Manager Regarding Notice of ConditionHere is the recently-filed complaint, captioned Pako Mikel and Denise Klerx v. Guerlain, Inc. (N.Y. Sup. Ct., N.Y. Cty., Sept. 25, 2014), Index No. 159425-2014, alleging sexual harassment, hostile work environment, and retaliation against French cosmetic company Guerlain Inc. Plaintiffs allege that they were sexually harassed by another employee, and that defendant didn’t do anything to…
Read More Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against GuerlainIn Cruz v. HSBC Bank USA, N.A., the Second Circuit recently affirmed the dismissal of a bank officer’s claim of breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing. The court cited the rule of “at will employment” in New York and its narrow exception, based on the New York Court of Appeals’ decision…
Read More Bank Officer Not Entitled to Invoke Narrow Exception to “At Will” Employment RuleIn Vosburgh v. American Nat. Red Cross, 2014 WL 4826688 (N.D.N.Y. Sept. 29, 2014), the court denied defendant’s summary judgment motion regarding plaintiff’s retaliation claim (but granted it regarding plaintiff’s wage and individual liability claims). As to her retaliation claim, the court held: [T]o prevail at the pretext stage of the McDonnell–Douglas analysis, a plaintiff must show…
Read More Hostility to Employee’s Alleged “Disloyal” Conduct Supports Retaliation ClaimHere is the complaint filed in Supreme Court, Richmond County (Staten Island) by firefighter Andrew Cannon against homeowner Kudar Uday. Plaintiff seeks recovery for injuries sustained while battling a fire at defendants’ house. At common law, the so-called “firefighter’s rule” in New York barred firefighters and police officers from recovering for injuries caused by negligence in…
Read More Injured Firefighter Sues HomeownerIn Hermina v. 2050 Valentine Ave. LLC, the Appellate Division, First Department reversed summary judgment in favor of defendants. In this personal injury case, plaintiff sustained injuries when the window in her apartment suddently fell while her hands were on the window sill. In reversing summary judgment, the court held: Triable issues of fact exist as…
Read More Falling Window Personal Injury Case Continues