ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)

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Many employment discrimination cases involve allegations by an employee (or former employee) that they have endured discriminatory treatment based on one or more of that person’s protected characteristics. But what you may not know is that there is another type of claim – referred to in the case law as “associational discrimination” – based on the…

Read More Your Sick Daughter or Your Job? Associational Discrimination Claims Survive Summary Judgment
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In Rodriguez v. City of New York, decided January 23, 2015, the Eastern District of New York held that plaintiff, a NYPD officer, sufficiently alleged a claim for disability discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the New York State Human Rights Law, and the New York City Human Rights Law. Plaintiff alleges that the…

Read More NYPD Officer Characterized as “Delusional” Plausibly Alleges Disability Discrimination Claims
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In the case of Vale v. Great Neck Water Pollution Control District, decided January 20, 2015, the Eastern District of New York held that the plaintiff sufficiently alleged various claims – including discrimination, failure to accommodate, and retaliation – under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Plaintiff alleged that she was subjected to unfair treatment in…

Read More Plaintiff Sufficiently Alleges Employment Discrimination Based on Disability (Broken Wrist)
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In Idlisan v. Mount Sinai Medical Center (decided January 9, 2015), the Southern District of New York dismissed plaintiff’s claim that he was not hired because of his race, national origin, disability, and conviction history. Title VII In dismissing plaintiff’s Title VII claims, the court – citing Second Circuit precedent for the principle that “feelings and…

Read More Court Reiterates That Mere “Perception” of Discrimination is Insufficient to Survive Summary Judgment
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In Sherman v. County of Suffolk, the Eastern District of New York addressed plaintiff’s discrimination claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The court held that plaintiff presented enough evidence to overcome summary judgment on his ADA discrimination claim: [W]hile the Plaintiff does not point to any direct evidence of discriminatory intent, such as derogatory…

Read More ADA-Based Discrimination and Retaliation, but not Hostile Work Environment, Claims Survive Summary Judgment
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In Lewis v. Blackman Plumbing Supply Co. 51 F. Supp. 3d 289 (SDNY 2014), the Southern District of New York denied defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s claims that defendants terminated him because of his hip-related disability, failed to accommodate him, and subjected him to a hostile work environment. As to plaintiff’s discriminatory-discharge claim,…

Read More Evidence, Including Derogatory Comments About Plaintiff’s Walk, Was Sufficient to Overcome Summary Judgment on Plaintiff’s Disability Discrimination Claims
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In Cullen v. Verizon Communications, No. 14-CV-464S, 2014 WL 6627494 (W.D.N.Y. Nov. 21, 2014), the Western District of New York dismissed, under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6), plaintiff’s complaint alleging disability discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (as amended) (ADA) and the New York State Human Rights Law. Here are the facts,…

Read More Recent Court Decision is Instructive as to the Circumstances Under Which Alcoholism Constitutes a “Disability” Under the Anti-Discrimination Statutes
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The sudden and tragic suicide of Robin Williams has reinvigorated a national discussion about depression and related conditions. What you may not know is that depression sufferers have legal protections in the workplace, specifically if they are treated unfairly because of their medical condition. Various laws – including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990…

Read More Depression as a “Disability” Under the Anti-Discrimination Laws
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In Dorgan v. Suffolk County Community College, 12-cv-0330 (EDNY Aug. 4, 2014), the Eastern District of New York granted defendants summary judgment on plaintiff’s claim of disability discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Plaintiff, who was diagnosed with bipolar II disorder, alleged that defendants subjected her to discrimination and terminated her based on…

Read More Decision: Bipolar Plaintiff’s Disability Discrimination Case Dismissed
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In Lyman v. New York and Presbyterian Hospital, decided July 14, 2014, the Southern District of New York denied defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s disability discrimination and retaliation claims. This decision illustrates that “[b]ecause direct evidence of an employer’s discriminatory intent will rarely be found, affidavits and depositions must be carefully scrutinized for circumstantial…

Read More “Problem” Employee Presents Enough Evidence of Disability Discrimination to Survive Summary Judgment
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