Court: U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit

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In Best v. Duane Reade, Inc. (2d Cir. 17-380 March 22, 2018) (Summary Order), the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s failure-to-accommodate, discrimination, and retaliation claims under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Here is the legal standard:[1]As usual, citations are omitted. ADA claims are analyzed under the burden-shifting framework established for discrimination claims:…

Read More Disability Discrimination Claims Properly Dismissed Against Duane Reade
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In Shaw v. McDonald, 17-1122, 2018 WL 1357382 (2d Cir. March 16, 2018) (Summary Order), the Second Circuit, inter alia, affirmed the dismissal of the plaintiff’s religious discrimination (disparate treatment) claim. The court gives us a refresher on the legal standard for pleading a discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, including…

Read More Religious Discrimination Claim Dismissed; Remarks Held Not Probative
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In Chauca v. Abraham, 2018 WL 1352351 (2d Cir. March 16, 2018), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that the district court erred in declining to submit the question of punitive damages to the jury under the New York City Human Rights Law. In a prior opinion,[1]Chauca v. Abraham, 841 F.3d…

Read More 2d Circuit: Lower Court Mistakenly Applied Higher Standard for Punitive Damages Under the NYC Human Rights Law
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In Penn v. New York Methodist Hospital, 2018 WL 1177293 (2d Cir. March 7, 2018), the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s race and religious discrimination claims asserted under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. From the Opinion: [T]he district court did not err in applying the ministerial exception doctrine. While a…

Read More Citing the “Ministerial Exception,” 2d Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Title VII Race/Religious Discrimination Claim
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In Zarda v. Altitude Express, Inc. (2d Cir. 15-3775 Feb. 26, 2018) (en banc), decided today by an en banc (i.e., full) Second Circuit panel, held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’s prohibition on discrimination “because of … sex” extends to sexual orientation. The court’s 69-page majority opinion aligns Second Circuit law with positions…

Read More 2d Circuit Holds, En Banc, That Title VII Prohibits Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation
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The law is well-settled that in order to file a claim for employment discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in federal court, a plaintiff “must first pursue available administrative remedies and file a timely complaint with the [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission].” See 42 U.S.C. § 2000e–5(e) and (f). This…

Read More 2d Circuit: Defendant Has Burden on “Administrative Exhaustion” For Title VII Employment Discrimination Claims
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In Picarella v. HSBC Securities (USA) Inc., 2018 WL 627517 (2d Cir. Jan. 31, 2018) (Summary Order) – an employment discrimination case – the Second Circuit declined to upset a jury verdict and resulting judgment in favor of defendant HSBC. Plaintiff asserted claims of retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964…

Read More 2d Circuit Declines to Award New Trial in Employment Discrimination Case; Defense Counsel’s Opening Statement Was Not Improper
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From DeBello v. VolumeCocomo Apparel, Inc., 2017 WL 6616704, at *3 (C.A.2 (N.Y.), 2017): We conclude … that in the circumstances here, DeBello’s public policy argument does not overcome the presumption that “a valid forum-selection clause [should be] given controlling weight in all but the most exceptional cases.” Atl. Marine, 134 S.Ct. at 581 (alteration in…

Read More 2d Circuit: Employment Agreement’s Venue Selection Clause Trumps Title VII’s Venue Provision
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In Gachette v. Metro North-High Bridge, 2018 WL 456723 (2d Cir. Jan. 18, 2018) (Summary Order), the Second Circuit vacated the district court’s dismissal of plaintiff’s disparate treatment claims, in light of an unresolved discovery dispute. From the Order: At the start, we conclude that vacatur is appropriate as to Gachette’s claims of disparate treatment…

Read More Employment Discrimination Claims Should Not Have Been Dismissed in Light of Discovery Dispute
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In McGuire-Welch v. The House of the Good Shepherd, 16-4095, 2018 WL 443487 (2d Cir. Jan. 17, 2018) (Summary Order), the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s age discrimination under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the New York State Human Rights Law. The court applied the principle that “anti-discrimination law does not…

Read More Stupid and Wicked? Maybe. Discrimination? Not Necessarily
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