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

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A recent decision, Forest v. NYS Office of Mental Health, No. 15-3950, 2016 WL 6917228 (2d Cir. Nov. 23, 2016) (Summary Order), illustrates that not every employer’s action qualifies as an “adverse employment action” sufficient to establish a retaliation claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In this case, the court…

Read More Title VII Retaliation Claim Properly Dismissed; Discipline Per Employer Policy and “Trivial Harms” Were Not “Adverse Employment Actions”
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In Figueroa v. Johnson, 648 F. App’x 130, 133 (2d Cir. 2016), the court affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s gender/national origin discrimination, hostile work environment, quid pro quo sexual harassment, and retaliation claims. Plaintiff, a Customs and Border Protection Officer at JFK Airport, argued (inter alia) that he was discriminated against on the basis of gender…

Read More Gender/National Origin Discrimination Claim Dismissed; Comparators Also Required to Work Holidays (Including Thanksgiving)
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In Douyon v. NYC Dept. of Education, No. 15-3932, 2016 WL 6584894 (2d Cir. Nov. 7, 2016) (Summary Order), the court affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s claims of hostile work environment sexual harassment, quid pro quo sexual harassment, and retaliation. In sum, plaintiff asserted that her supervisor, Laurence Harvey, subjected her to sexual harassment and…

Read More Sexual Harassment, Retaliation Claims Properly Dismissed Against NYC Dept. of Education
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In Frederick v. United Bhd. of Carpenters & Joiners of Am., No. 15-1065, 2016 WL 6518812 (2d Cir. Nov. 3, 2016), the Second Circuit reminds us that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects against only a subset of arguably unfair workplace conduct. In affirming the district court’s dismissal of plaintiff’s employment…

Read More Unfair, But Not Unlawful: Court Again Reminds Us of the Limitations of Title VII
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In Chauca v. Abraham, No. 15-1720, 2016 WL 6436834 (2d Cir. Nov. 1, 2016), a pregnancy discrimination case, the Second Circuit certified to the New York Court of Appeals the following question: What is the standard for finding a defendant liable for punitive damages under the New York City Human Rights Law, N.Y.C. Admin. Code…

Read More Second Circuit Addresses the Standard for Punitive Damages Under the NYC Human Rights Law
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In a recent Summary Order, Dunaway v. MPCC Corp. (2d Cir. Sept. 27, 2016), the Second Circuit affirmed the summary judgment dismissal of plaintiff’s age discrimination claim under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. This decision teaches that asking age-related questions during a job interview is not, alone, necessarily sufficient to sustain a failure-to-hire discrimination claim.…

Read More Age-Related Comments During Job Interview Insufficient to Establish Failure-to-Hire ADEA Claim
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In Griffin v. Sirva Inc., No. 15-1307, 2016 WL 4524466 (2d Cir. Aug. 30, 2016), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit identified so-far unanswered questions relating to liability under Section 296(15) of the New York State Human Rights Law, which prohibits the denial of employment on the basis of a criminal conviction.…

Read More 2nd Circuit Certifies Three Questions to the NY Court of Appeals Regarding Liability Under the NYS Human Rights Law’s Provision Prohibiting Denial of Employment on the Basis of a Criminal Conviction
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Today, in Vasquez v. Empress Ambulance Service, 15-3239-cv (2d Cir. Aug. 29, 2016), the Second Circuit – in an opinion authored by Judge Calabresi – vacated a lower court’s dismissal of plaintiff’s retaliation claim under Title VII, and explicitly held “that an employer may be held liable for an employee’s animus under a ‘cat’s paw’…

Read More Second Circuit Reinstates Retaliation Claim Based on “Cat’s Paw” Theory
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In Doe v. Columbia Univ., No. 15-1536, 2016 WL 4056034 (2d Cir. July 29, 2016), the court held that the plaintiff adequately pled facts that plausibly support a minimal inference of sex bias. Plaintiff, a male Columbia University student, alleges that Columbia violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. § 1681 et…

Read More Title IX Claims Plausibly Alleged Against Columbia University
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In Dhar v. City of New York, No. 15-2698-CV, 2016 WL 3889108 (2d Cir. July 15, 2016) (Summary Order), the court affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s retaliation claim under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). “To state a prima facie claim of retaliation, a plaintiff must show (1) participation in a protected activity; (2) that the…

Read More 2d Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Retaliation Claim, Citing Large Gap Between Protected Activity and Adverse Actions
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