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In Rollins v. Fencers Club, Inc. (App. Div. 1st Dept. May 5, 2015), the Appellate Division, First Department affirmed the denial of defendants’ motion for summary judgment dismissing plaintiff’s complaint alleging age discrimination in violation of the NYC Human Rights Law. As a result, plaintiff gets a trial on her claims. The court analyzed plaintiff’s…

Read More Age Discrimination Plaintiff Defeats Summary Judgment; Age-Related Comments Were Not “Stray Remarks”
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In Petyan v. New York City Law Dept., 14-cv-1434, 2015 WL 1855961 (SDNY April 23, 2015), the court recommended the dismissal of plaintiff’s national origin (Israeli) discrimination and hostile work environment claims, but held that plaintiff plausibly alleged retaliation in the form of a negative performance evaluation. The court held: The law in [the Second] Circuit…

Read More Retaliation Claim, But Not National Origin Discrimination Claim, Survives Dismissal
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In 2010, plaintiff Geralyn Ganci alleged, in a federal court complaint against U.S. Limousine Service Ltd. and Raymond Townsend, that she was subjected to hostile work environment and quid pro quo sexual harassment (including in person and by phone calls/text messages) by her boss Raymond Townsend and fired for rejecting his advances. Among the “vile and…

Read More $700,000+ Award in Limousine Company Sexual Harassment Case
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In Moriarty v. Lenox Terrace Development Associates (NY Sup. Ct. 3/24/15), the plaintiff sought to recover for injuries she sustained after tripping and falling upon exiting a misleveled elevator in her building. She relied, in part, on the theory of “res ipsa loquitur”. The court explained that, in order to invoke that doctrine, a plaintiff…

Read More Elevator Misleveling Trip-and-Fall Case Proceeds to Trial on Res Ipsa Loquitur Theory
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“To make out a prima facie [employment] discrimination claim [under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964], a plaintiff must demonstrate … (1) [he] was within the protected class; (2) [he] was qualified for the position; (3) [he] was subject to an adverse employment action; and (4) the adverse action occurred under circumstances giving…

Read More Second Circuit Clarifies What an “Adverse Employment Action” Is For Purposes of a Discrimination Claim
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In Linder v. Innovative Commercial Sys. LLC, decided April 30, 2015, the Appellate Division, First Department affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s complaint alleging failure to pay commissions. Citing the Court of Appeals’ decision in Pachter v. Bernard Hodes Group, Inc., the court explained: Given the seven-year course of dealing between the parties, in which plaintiff…

Read More At-Will Commission Salesman Not Entitled to Commissions on Post-Termination Payments
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Here is the complaint, captioned Matthew Luke v. Al Jazeera America and Osman Mahmud, NY Sup. Ct. NY Cty. Index No. 154219-2015 (Apr. 28, 2015), filed against news organization Al Jazeera and others. Plaintiff alleges that defendants retaliated against him after he opposed defendant Mahmud’s discriminatory acts against his colleagues on the basis of their gender,…

Read More Discrimination Lawsuit Against Al Jazeera America
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In Connolly v. 129 East 69th St. Corp., a personal injury trip-and-fall case, one defendant moved for summary judgment to dismiss plaintiff’s case. The Supreme Court granted the motion. The Appellate Division, however, reversed that decision, finding that the defendant filed its motion one day after the motion filing deadline: Supreme Court’s individual part rules…

Read More Summary Judgment Motion Filed One Day Late Deemed Untimely in Personal Injury Case
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In Kane v. 247 Real Media, 14-cv-2482, 2015 WL 1623832 (SDNY April 7, 2015), the court explained and applied the “administrative exhaustion” requirement of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Plaintiff – a transgender woman – alleged that she was subjected to discrimination based on her race, color, gender, and national origin.…

Read More Failure to File at EEOC Dooms Federal Transgender Discrimination Claims
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A recent decision, Martinez v. Lincoln Center (Sup. Ct. Bx. Cty. Apr. 8, 2015), illustrates that attorneys who engage in obstructionist conduct at depositions do so at their peril. In this personal injury action, plaintiff, a laborer, was injured when he slipped and fell on debris in an underground garage at Lincoln Center. The court granted…

Read More Violation of Deposition Rules Results in $250 Sanction Against Defense Attorney in Personal Injury Case
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