In Graham v. Macy’s, Inc., SDNY 14-cv-3192 (March 23, 2015), Southern District Judge Paul Engelmayer granted defendant Macys’ motion to dismiss the pro se plaintiff’s claims of discrimination based on disability (here, arthritis and bipolar disorder) under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Although Judge Engelmayer determined that plaintiff’s complaint was deficient – citing, for example,…
Read More Disability Discrimination RoadmapIn a lawsuit filed against Deutsche Bank, [B.E] v. Deutsche Bank (SDNY 15-cv-01398) (amended complaint), plaintiff alleges (inter alia) that he was subjected to retaliation after complaining about sexual harassment by a gay male co-worker. Below is the complaint:
Read More Sexual Harassment, Hostile Work Environment, and Retaliation Lawsuit Against Deutsche BankA recent Southern District of New York decision, Daniel v. T&M Protection Resources LLC (SDNY 13-cv-4384, Feb. 19, 2015), illustrates that even conduct that rises to the level of what may be considered “crude” and “contemptible” may not be (and, in this case, was not) enough to survive summary judgment on a Title VII hostile…
Read More Court Explains That Even “Crude and Contemptible” Conduct May Not Rise to the Level of a Hostile Work EnvironmentMany 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 JudgmentMore lawyers (allegedly) behaving badly. Here is the complaint, captioned Chechelnitsky v. McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP, SDNY 15-cv-01777 (March 10, 2015), filed in the Southern District of New York on March 10, 2015 containing allegations of sexual harassment by an associate attorney against Newark, NJ-based law firm McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter. Plaintiff…
Read More Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Law Firm McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & CarpenterIn Doyle v. City of New York (SDNY 14-02831, March 4, 2015), the Southern District of New York held, in a case of first impression, that persons who perform court-ordered community service as a condition of an Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal (ACD) are not “employees” within the meaning of the federal Fair Labor Standards…
Read More Persons Who Perform Community Service as Condition of ACD Are Not “Employees” Under the FLSAIn a federal court complaint captioned Pereyra v. Toys “R” Us Property Co. et al., 15-cv-00048 (SDNY Jan. 6, 2015), plaintiff alleges discrimination on the basis of sex/gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, retaliation, and constructive discharge. Plaintiff alleges, among other things, that his supervisor harassed him by calling him a “fag” and saying making…
Read More Discrimination Lawsuit Against Toys “R” UsThe Southern District of New York recently held, in Khan v. Hilton Worldwide, Inc., No. 14 CIV. 1011 ALC, 2015 WL 738108 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 20, 2015), that a failure to rehire an employee qualifies as an “adverse employment action” and that plaintiff’s retaliation claims under Title VII and the NYC Human Rights Law survived defendants’…
Read More Court: “Failure to Rehire” is an “Adverse Employment Action”Various statutes – including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL) – provide for an award of attorney fees to the prevailing party. These statutes represent a deviation from the so-called “American rule” of litigation, under which each side is responsible for its own…
Read More Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Winner Alexandra Marchuk’s Motion for $1.4 Million Attorney Fee AwardHere is the federal court complaint, captioned Cargian v. Breitling USA, Inc., 15-cv-01084 (SDNY, filed 2/17/15), in which plaintiff alleges age, gender, and sexual orientation discrimination against watch manufacturer Breitling. He asserts claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the New York State and City…
Read More Age, Gender, and Sexual Orientation Discrimination Lawsuit Against Breitling