In New York State Division of Human Rights v. Hawk, 2021 N.Y. Slip Op. 03687, 2021 WL 2389091 (N.Y. App. Div. 4th Dept. June 11, 2021), the court enforced orders issued by the New York State Division of Human Rights that found respondents Ronald E. Hawk and Big Money Jim, Inc., doing business as Chaffee…
Read More $10,000 Awarded in Sexual Harassment Case Against Chaffee Flatts and OwnerIn Matter of New York State Division of Human Rights v. GSN Transportation et al, No. 89, TP 20-01098, 2021 N.Y. Slip Op. 02629, 2021 WL 1711190 (N.Y.A.D. 4 Dept., Apr. 30, 2021), the court (a) unanimously confirmed a determination of the New York State Division of Human Rights which found that respondents GNS Transportation…
Read More Court Upholds Finding of Disability-Based Hostile Work Environment and Award of $7,500 in Compensatory Damages Against GSN TransportationIn Root v. Salamanca Central School District, No. 20-00123, 882, 2021 N.Y. Slip Op. 01634, 2021 WL 1049730 (N.Y.A.D. 4 Dept. Mar. 19, 2021), a sexual harassment case, the court upheld a lower court decision denying defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiff’s claims against defendants (but modified the order to dismiss plaintiff’s amended complaint against individual…
Read More Teacher’s Sexual Harassment Case Continues Against Upstate School DistrictIn a recent case, Stephanie L. v. House of the Good Shepherd, 2020 N.Y. Slip Op. 04643, 2020 WL 4876487 (N.Y.A.D. 4 Dept., Aug. 20, 2020), the court discusses and applies the foundational principle of “duty” in a negligence case. The facts here are relatively straightforward; in sum, plaintiffs adopted a child through defendant (a…
Read More Court: Foster Agency Owed Duty to Disclose Foster Child’s History to Adoptive ParentsA recent decision, Matter of Floriano-Keetch v New York State Div. of Human Rights, 2019 NY Slip Op 06282 (App. 4th Dept. Aug. 22, 2019), illustrates the procedure following a “no probable cause” determination by the New York State Division of Human Rights (SDHR). The court explained: Where, as here, SDHR renders a determination of…
Read More NYSDHR’s “No Probable Cause” Finding Upheld in Caregiver Discrimination CaseIn Carrington v. New York State Off. for People With Dev. Disabilities, 2019 NY Slip Op 01887 (App. Div. 4th Dept. March 15, 2019), an employment discrimination case, the court affirmed the lower court’s order granting defendant’s pre-answer motion to dismiss plaintiff’s complaint – alleging discrimination based on prior criminal conviction in violation of the…
Read More Criminal Conviction Discrimination Case Properly Dismissed as Untimely, Court HoldsThe fact pattern of in the recent case of Deng v. Young, 2018 NY Slip Op 05414 (App. Div. 4th Dept. July 25, 2018) is any parent’s nightmare: Plaintiff’s son (hereafter, child) was a student at Webster Elementary School, improperly sued as Webster Elementary School District, which is located in the Syracuse City School District (collectively,…
Read More Personal Injury Case Against School Survives Summary JudgmentFrom Matter of Stellar Dental Mgt. LLC v. New York State Div. of Human Rights, 2018 NY Slip Op 04483 (App. Div. 4th Dept. June 15, 2018): We conclude that there is substantial evidence to support the determination that petitioner discriminated against each complainant by subjecting her to a sexually hostile work environment (see Matter of Father…
Read More Court Upholds State Division Findling of Hostile Work Environment Sexual HarassmentIn Vega v. Crane, 2018 NY Slip Op 03262 (App. Div. 4th Dept. May 4, 2018), a motor vehicle accident death case, the court explicitly held “that a person does not owe a common-law duty to motorists to refrain from sending a text message to a person whom he or she knows, or reasonably should know,…
Read More Fourth Department: No Duty to Refrain From Sending Text Message to DriverFrom Thygesen v. N. Bailey Volunteer Fire Co., No. 16-00775, 2017 WL 2491451, at *2 (N.Y. App. Div. June 9, 2017): [P]laintiff is not required to prove his claim to defeat summary judgment” (Ferrante, 90 N.Y.2d at 630). Rather, “[t]o defeat a properly supported motion for summary judgment in [a sexual orientation] discrimination case, plaintiff[ ]…
Read More Sexual Orientation Employment Discrimination Claim Survives Summary Judgment