Discovery

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In Henry v. Morgan’s Hotel Grp., Inc., No. 15-CV-1789 (ER)(JLC), 2016 WL 303114 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 25, 2016) – a race and sexual orientation discrimination case – the court quashed subpoenas seeking documents from plaintiff’s prior employers. Specifically, the court quashed the subpoenas because they (1) failed to provide adequate notice, (2) would cause prejudice to plaintiff,…

Read More Court Quashes Subpoenas Seeking Documents Held By Discrimination Plaintiff’s Prior Employers
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Forman v. Henkin, 2015 NY Slip Op 09350 (App. Div. 1st Dept. Dec. 17, 2015), decided by the First Department on December 17, 2015, represents yet another data point in an evolving body of case law assessing whether a party to litigation is entitled to the other side’s social media postings. This issue typically arises in…

Read More First Department Limits Facebook Discovery in Personal Injury Case
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Generally, by bringing a personal injury lawsuit a plaintiff waives the physician-patient privilege, but only with respect to medical records relevant to the injuries for which compensation is sought. This point is illustrated by the decision today in Kenneh v. Jey Livery Serv., 2015 NY Slip Op 06993 (App. Div. 1st Dept. Sept. 29, 2015), in which the…

Read More Defendants Not Entitled to Medical Records Relating to Preexisting Diabetic Condition in Car Accident Personal Injury Case
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In Rosas v. Alice’s Tea Cup LLC, 14-cv-8788 (SDNY July 6, 2015), the court emphasized that “the protections of the FLSA are available to citizens and undocumented workers alike”, and entered a protective order precluding defendants from seeking discovery of the plaintiffs’ immigration status, tax returns, or current employers. Plaintiffs asserted that defendants failed to pay them…

Read More Court Denies FLSA Defendants Access to Plaintiffs’ Immigration Status, Tax Returns, or Current Employers
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In Spearin v. Linmar, L.P., 129 AD3d 528 (App. Div. 1st Dept. June 16, 2015), a personal injury case, the court addressed an issue that is coming up with increasing frequency: namely, the extent to which a plaintiff’s social media postings must be turned over in discovery. The court reversed a lower court decision that “ordered…

Read More Piano-Playing Plaintiff’s Facebook Posts Ordered for In-Camera Inspection
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A recent case, Gonzalez v. City of New York (decided by the Supreme Court, Queens County on May 4, 2015) represents yet another example of why parties to litigation – or persons who contemplate being a party to litigation – should refrain from posting on social media anything whatsoever concerning their claims. In this personal injury case,…

Read More Court Orders In Camera Inspection of Personal Injury Plaintiff’s Social Media Postings
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A recent decision, Martinez v. Lincoln Center (Sup. Ct. Bx. Cty. Apr. 8, 2015), illustrates that attorneys who engage in obstructionist conduct at depositions do so at their peril. In this personal injury action, plaintiff, a laborer, was injured when he slipped and fell on debris in an underground garage at Lincoln Center. The court granted…

Read More Violation of Deposition Rules Results in $250 Sanction Against Defense Attorney in Personal Injury Case
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The law relating to the use of social media in litigation continues to evolve. A recent decision issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Caputi v. Topper Realty Corp. (decided Feb. 25, 2015), provides additional insight into how judges deal with this increasingly important issue. In Caputi, a wage-and-hour case, defendants…

Read More Court Allows Partial Access to Plaintiff’s Facebook Account
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In Holcomb v. State Univ. of New York at Fredonia, No. 12CV673A, 2015 WL 1280442 (W.D.N.Y. Mar. 20, 2015), the Western District of New York denied defendants’ motion to compel the plaintiff to respond to questions relating to her romantic experiences with her colleagues. In this case, plaintiff sued under Title VII of the Civil…

Read More Sexual Harassment Victim’s Romantic Relationships With Colleagues Off-Limits for Discovery, Court Rules
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In Pecile v. Titan Capital Group, LLC, 2014 NY Slip Op 05053, 119 A.D.3d 446 (App. Div. 1st Dept. July 3, 2014), the Appellate Division, First Department held that the plaintiffs in this sexual harassment lawsuit[1]Redacted. are entitled to production of (1) all documents concerning complaints of sexual harassment and/or retaliation, whether internal or external, made…

Read More Sexual Harassment Plaintiffs Entitled to Discovery Regarding Harassment Complaints, First Dept. Holds
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