In a decision issued on March 15, 2012 in Ginsburg v. Cornell University et. al., 11-cv-01374, the court denied defendants’ motion for a judgment on the pleadings, permitting the lawsuit – brought by the father of a Cornell student who killed himself by jumping off the Thurston Avenue Bridge (pictured) near the Cornell campus –…
Read More Cornell Bridge Suicide Lawsuit ContinuesBelow is the complaint filed on March 16th by Alina Borgovan against the Union League Club, containing her allegations that she was subjected to sexual harassment, discrimination based on her national origin (Romanian), and fired in retaliation for complaining of this conduct. [scribd id=85987218 key=key-1wfma9g175x3uaerhu68 mode=list]
Read More Discrimination Lawsuit Against Union League ClubIn Carpinone v. City of New York, No. 11 Civ. 2074 (PAE), the SDNY recently clarified the pleading requirements for a claim under Monell v. Dep’t of Social Servs., 436 U.S. 658, 694 (1978). SDNY Judge Engelmayer dismissed plaintiff’s complaint on the pleadings under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(c). Plaintiff alleged that he was…
Read More SDNY Reiterates Section 1983 / Monell Pleading RequirementsBelow is a copy of the complaint filed by aspiring model Hayden Holt against New York modeling agency Emmanuel NY Models Inc. and its principal, Aristeo Tengco, for sexual harassment, retaliation, wage violations, and breach of contract. Specifically, Holt asserts that Tengco inappropriately touched her, and then retaliated against her – by apparently having her…
Read More Aspiring Model’s Sexual Harassment LawsuitCrump v. NBTY, Inc. et al., 10-cv-632 (WFK) (ETB) (EDNY March 1, 2012) illustrates that even a single, facially neutral (but arguably racist) remark by a supervisor may be enough to proceed to a jury trial on a Title VII discrimination claim. Defendant contended that it fired plaintiff for theft and for improperly using a…
Read More Court Allows Race Discrimination Claim, Based on Single Racist Remark, to Proceed to Jury TrialA recent decision, Thiebault v.Chelsea 23rd St. Corp., 108001/2011 (N.Y. Sup. (N.Y. Cty.) Feb. 3, 2012), illustrates (yet again) the limited reach of New York’s general whistleblower statute. Plaintiff alleged that he was terminated because he refused to sign an affidavit of service containing false statements, in violation of that law. The court disagreed. “In…
Read More NY Whistleblower Law Does Not Protect Employee Fired For Refusing to Engage in PerjuryBelow is a copy of the complaint filed last week by the husband and child of Marion Hedges, who was injured on October 30, 2011 when struck by a shopping cart dropped from an elevated walkway of a Harlem shopping center (news regarding the recent sentencing of one of the teens involved in the incident here).…
Read More Shopping Cart Drop LawsuitIt’s an old story, really: boy meets girl, boy cheats on girl, boy leaves second girl, girls post nasty comments about boy on www.liarscheatersrus.com, boy files lawsuit alleging defamation and tortious interference with prospective business relations… In Couloute v. Ryncarz et al., 11-cv-5986 (SDNY Feb. 15, 2012), the court found that plaintiff failed to state plausible claims…
Read More Court dismisses attorney’s lawsuit against ex-girlfriends for online rantsBelow is a copy of the complaint, captioned Sowers v. City of New York (SDNY 12-cv-1294), filed in the Southern District of New York by Chloe Sowers against the City of New York, NYPD officer Kevin McKeon, and New York Downtown Hospital. In it, Ms. Sowers alleges that while she was waiting for the Staten…
Read More Lawsuit Seeks Damages for False Arrest and Involuntary Hospitalization Arising From Non-Disruptive Public IntoxicationIn Sacco v. City of New York (App. Div. 1 Dept. Feb. 16, 2012), an Appellate Division, First Department panel held that the trial court erred in determining, as a matter of law, that the City was not provided with sufficient notice, per NYC Administrative Code § 7-201(c)(2), of the defective condition upon which plaintiff…
Read More Inspection Report Satisfied NYC’s “Pothole Law” Notice Requirement