In TE v. Pine Bush Central School Dist, the Southern District of New York denied defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiffs/students’ Title VI claims. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, codified at 42 U.S.C. § 2000(d), provides that [n]o person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or…
Read More Anti-Semitic Student Harassment Case ContinuesHere is the recent employment discrimination lawsuit filed against HSBC, captioned Michael Preston v. HSBC Securities (USA) Inc., 14-cv-8402. Plaintiff alleges, among other things, that he was sexually harassed by a gay co-worker – which involved explicit requests for sexual favors, physically touching and fondling plaintiff, and sexual remarks about plaintiff’s penis – and then fired a…
Read More Sexual Harassment/Hostile Work Environment Lawsuit Against HSBCIn Parra v. City of White Plains (decided Sept. 4, 2014), the Southern District of New York held that plaintiff plausibly alleged some, but not other, claims of discrimination. Plaintiff, a Hispanic female police officer, alleged that defendants subjected her to a hostile work environment based on sexual harassment, retaliated against her for complaining about the…
Read More Pairing Harassment Victim With Harassers Was Unreasonable, Supporting Vicarious Liability in Police Officer’s Sexual Harassment/Hostile Work Environment CaseIn Hu v. UGL Services Unicco Operations Co., decided October 9, 2014, the Southern District of New York dismissed plaintiff’s age discrimination claims under the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL), and the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL). One take-away point from this case…
Read More Absence of Ageist Comments Dooms Age Discrimination Case at the “Pretext” StageHere is the complaint recently filed by NYPD Scuba Unit member Oscar Smith against the City of New York, captioned Smith v. City of New York et al., 14-cv-07945. Plaintiff alleges, among other things, discrimination based on his race, gender (due to gender stereotypes), perceived sexual orientation, and retaliation.
Read More Discrimination Lawsuit by NYPD Scuba Unit MemberHere is the recently-filed federal court complaint (captioned Jermaine Gilyard v. Nine West Group et al., 1:14-cv-07096) in which plaintiff alleges, among other things, that he “was subjected to a hostile work environment on the basis of race, racial discrimination, was disciplined several times on spurious charges, and was finally fired … in retaliation for his attempts…
Read More Race Discrimination and Hostile Work Environment Lawsuit Against Nine West GroupHere is the federal court complaint recently filed by former UBS intern Samantha Lambui against UBS, James Collins, and others. She alleges, among other things, that Collins made unwelcome advances, including offering a designer handbag in exchange for sex and trying to kiss her.
Read More Intern’s Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against UBSIn Johnson v. City University of New York, decided Sept. 8, 2014, the Southern District of New York once again clarified that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not prohibit bullying and harassment that is unconnected with legally-protected characteristics. The court’s first paragraph summarizes the law nicely: Bullying and harassment have no…
Read More “Bullying” and “Harassment” Unconnected to Membership in a Protected Class Not Actionable Under Title VIIHere is the complaint filed on September 3, 2014 by Danny Yoo against The New York Palace Hotel and Michael Richard. Plaintiff alleges, among other things, that after Richard noticed a bubble on an eclair plaintiff had worked on, Richard approached plaintiff “and all of a sudden began tapping [plaintiff]’s chin and lips repeatedly with…
Read More Danny Yoo’s Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against The New York Palace Hotel and Michael RichardIn Chiaramonte v. The Animal Medical Center, the Southern District of New York recently held that plaintiff successfully pleaded – “by a very narrow margin” – claims under the federal Equal Pay Act and its New York equivalent. In this case, Plaintiff alleges in the Amended Complaint that she, in addition to serving as a…
Read More Female Veterinarian Plausibly Alleges Equal Pay Act Claims