As reported by the Daily News, a Brooklyn federal court jury on Friday awarded Osama Saleh $4.7 million in an employment discrimination lawsuit. Mr. Saleh – who was raised in Yemen and is Muslim – alleged in his complaint, Saleh v. Pretty Girl, Inc. et al., CV-09-1769 (copy below), that defendants discriminated against him based on…
Read More $4.7 Million Jury Verdict for “Terrorist”, “Bin Laden” Discrimination VictimIn Herling v. New York City Department of Education, decided April 23, 2014, the Eastern District of New York held that plaintiff stated a claim for discrimination based on race and religion, but not retaliation. Plaintiff, who is Jewish, alleged that he was subjected to discrimination by the school’s African-American principal, defendant Gray. He claimed,…
Read More Physical Education Teacher States Claim for Religious Discrimination Against Department of EducationOn May 28, 2014, an Eastern District federal jury awarded $1.35 million to white Freeport police lieutenant Christopher Barella. Here is the Judgment, memorializing the following awards: $150,000 for loss of back pay, $1,000,000 for loss of front pay, $200,000 for punitive damages. In his Amended Complaint, plaintiff asserted that the Village of Freeport and…
Read More White Police Lieutenant Wins $1.35 Million Award in “Reverse” Discrimination SuitIn Smith v. Town of Hempstead (decided May 15, 2014), the Eastern District of New York held that plaintiff stated claims for sexual harassment/hostile work environment under Title VII, and a claim for municipal liability under 42 USC 1983. Plaintiff worked as a Community Research Assistant in the Town’s Clerk’s Office and claimed that she was subjected…
Read More Town Clerk States Claims For Hostile Work Environment Sexual Harassment and Municipal Liability Under Section 1983The Eastern District of New York recently held, in Baron v. Advanced Asset and Property Management Solutions LLC, that plaintiff presented sufficient evidence to survive summary judgment on his disability discrimination claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the New York State Human Rights Law. Plaintiff, who worked for defendant as an Assistant Controller,…
Read More Disability Discrimination Claims Survive Summary JudgmentBelow is the federal court complaint recently filed by the parents of aspiring model Jazmin Drain against the Freeport Union Free School District and others, arising from a razor attack by a fellow student. Plaintiffs bring their claims under 42 USC 1983. Plaintiffs alleged, among other things, that defendant school district “failed to properly act” when Jazmin…
Read More $21 Million Lawsuit by Parents Against School District Arising from Razor Attack on Aspiring Model Jazmin DrainWhite Castle can’t buy advertising like this. Below is a recent federal complaint, in which plaintiffs allege that they were arrested and struck by NYPD officers after refusing the officers’ demand for their White Castle food. According to a recent Gothamist article: Brooklyn residents Danny Maisonet and Kenneth Glover say that they procured White Castle meals on Halloween 2012…
Read More Lawsuit Alleges NYPD Officers Subjected Men to False Arrest and Police Brutality For Refusing to Hand Over White Castle FoodRecently, in Southerland v. Woo, 99 Civ. 3329, 2014 WL 704327 (EDNY 2014), Eastern District of New York Judge Brian Cogan denied attorney Brian King admission pro hac vice – a legal term meaning admission “for this occasion only” – in the retrial of a civil rights matter brought by a father and his children against a former…
Read More Citing Lack of Respect and Unfamiliarity With Rules, Court Denies Lawyer Admission Pro Hac ViceHappy Valentine’s Day! In keeping with what I hope will be a continued practice of keying blog posts to holidays, I present to you the case of Ashok v. Barnhart, 289 F. Supp. 2d 305 (EDNY 2003). In Ashok, plaintiff claimed that she was subjected to retaliation and a hostile work environment based on national…
Read More Allegedly “Humiliating” Valentine’s Day Poster Did Not Support Hostile Work Environment ClaimIn Saliba v Five Towns College, the Eastern District of New York held that plaintiff, an assistant professor, failed to state a claim for retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Plaintiff alleged that she was terminated solely because she had voiced her concerns regarding rampant corruption in the administration of…
Read More Court Dismisses Professor’s Retaliation Claim Based on Complaints About Another Professor’s Sexual Harassment of Students