Below is the lawsuit, captioned Myrella Ikeda v. J. Sisters 57, Inc. et al., 14-cv-3570, recently filed in the Southern District of New York. According to the complaint: [Plaintiff] visited J. Sisters with a prominent Brazilian hairdresser and television and magazine reporter as part of a photo-shoot for a well known Brazilian fashion magazine. [Plaintiff] arrived…
Read More Model’s Botched Hair LawsuitThe court’s decision in Garrigan v. Ruby Tuesday, 14-cv-155 (S.D.N.Y. May 22, 2014) illustrates the important distinctions between pleading employment discrimination claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the much broader New York City Human Rights Law. Plaintiff claimed that she was harassed in the workplace because she would not…
Read More Plaintiff Successfully Pleads Sexual Harassment and Retaliation Under NYC Human Rights LawBelow is the complaint filed on May 12, 2014 in the Southern District of New York by television writer/producer and professor Mollie Fermaglich against New York University and others. The lawsuit is captioned Mollie Fermaglich v. New York University et al., 1:14-cv-03434, and has been assigned to Judge Engelmayer. Ms. Fermaglich, who is Jewish, asserts (among other things)…
Read More NYU Professor and TV Writer/Producer Mollie Fermaglich’s Federal Discrimination Suit Against NYUHere’s a little Mother’s Day-themed law for you. In Pierre v. City of New York, the Southern District of New York recommended the dismissal of various claims asserted by plaintiff against the City of New York, including for false arrest, excessive force, deprivation of property, violation of First Amendment rights, under federal law (through 42 USC…
Read More Mother’s Day Cards Are Not Exempt From General Vendor’s License RequirementBelow is the age and disability discrimination complaint, captioned Staropoli v. St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital and Debra Tompkins, 14 CV 3317, filed in the Southern District of New York on May 7, 2014. Plaintiff, who is 60 years old and suffers from Tourette Syndrome and Type II Diabetes, alleges, among other things, that “[b]y failing…
Read More Tourette Syndrome Discrimination LawsuitIn Catalanello v. Kramer (decided May 7, 2014), Southern District Judge Paul Engelmayer dismissed plaintiff Robert Catalanello’s complaint alleging defamation and false light invasion of privacy against law professor Zachary Kramer. Applying New Jersey law, the court held that the alleged defamatory statements (which were contained in Kramer’s law review article titled “Of Meat and Manhood” and…
Read More Court Dismisses Defamation and False Light/Privacy Claims Brought By Alleged Harasser Against Law ProfessorA recent Southern District decision, James v. NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation, illustrates that the anti-discrimination laws are not a “general civility code” and underscores the critical requirement that, in order to be actionable, any alleged discrimination or harassment must be “because of” a protected characteristic (here, the plaintiff’s sex). Plaintiff, a female Special Officer in…
Read More Workplace Slap Was Not “Because Of” Plaintiff’s Sex; Sexual Harassment Claim DismissedIn Greene v. Middletown, filed April 29, 2014, the Southern District of New York granted defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s disability discrimination claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In reaching its decision, Judge Cote cited and applied the “stray remarks” doctrine, which is used to evaluate whether allegedly discriminatory comments are…
Read More Amputee’s Disability Discrimination Case Dismissed Due to “Oblique and Remote” Nature of Alleged Discriminatory RemarkIn Donohue v. Finkelstein Memorial Library, the Southern District of New York recently denied defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiffs’ sexual harassment (hostile work environment) claims. Generally, a plaintiff asserting a hostile work environment claim must establish two things: first, conduct rising to a sufficient level that constitutes a “hostile” or “abusive” working environment, and second,…
Read More SDNY Applies “Alter Ego/Proxy” Theory in Denying Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment in Sexual Harassment/Hostile Work Environment CaseIn Brown v. Crowdtwist, the Southern District of New York (Judge Baer) recently denied defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s age discrimination claim under the New York City Human Rights Law. The court held that the plaintiff, a 43-year old male, presented sufficient evidence that he was terminated by internet startup technology company Crowdtwist…
Read More Age Discrimination Claim Against Internet Startup Crowdtwist Survives Summary Judgment