Employment Discrimination

In Lai v. Deiorio Foods Inc., 2016 WL 814930 (NDNY Feb. 29, 2016), the court held that the (pro se) plaintiff plausibly alleged claims of employment discrimination and retaliation. Plaintiff, a Vietnam-born naturalized U.S. citizen, alleged that her Bosnian supervisor “discriminated [against], harassed, intimidated, and threatened her on a regular basis” and that she was constructively…

Read More Vietnamese Plaintiff Plausibly Alleges Employment Discrimination by Citing Examples of Bosnian Favoritism
Share This:

In Kennedy v. NYS, 14-CV-990S, NYLJ 1202751641711 (WDNY Mar. 3, 2016), the Western District of New York held that plaintiff – a member of NYS Assembly Member Dennis Gabryszak’s staff – plausibly alleged hostile work environment sexual harassment against Mr. Gabryszak under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, and therefore denied defendants’ motion to dismiss under Fed. R. Civ.…

Read More Assembly Staff Member Sufficiently Alleges § 1983 Sexual Harassment Claim Against Dennis Gabryszak
Share This:

In Lott v. Coreone Techs., LLC, No. 14-CV-5848 (CM), 2016 WL 462486 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 2, 2016), plaintiff asserted age discrimination, disability discrimination, and retaliation claims against his former employer. The court granted defendant’s motion for summary judgment as to some of plaintiff’s claims (e.g., discriminatory failure to promote and discriminatory termination), but denied it as…

Read More Retaliatory Firing Claim Survives Dismissal in Light of Evidence that Reduction-in-Force Was Pretextual
Share This:

The New York State Division of Human Rights has released its “Guidance on Sexual Harassment For All Employers in New York State.” It provides, among other things: The provisions of the [New York State] Human Rights Law generally apply to employers with four or more employees. However, with regard specifically to sexual harassment, the Human…

Read More NYS Division of Human Rights Issues Guidance on Sexual Harassment to New York State Employers
Share This:

In Riddle v. Citigroup, 15-233-cv, a Second Circuit Summary Order issued today, the court held that the district court properly dismissed plaintiff’s retaliation claim for failure to state a claim. This Order is instructive on how courts evaluate a retaliation claim based on so-called “temporal proximity” between the alleged protected activity, on the one hand,…

Read More Retaliation Claim Properly Dismissed; Sixteen Months Was Too Long to Establish “Temporal Proximity”
Share This:

The Southern District of New York’s recent decision in Eisner v. City of New York, 15-cv-1888, provides a good overview of how courts analyze discrimination claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL). It also reaffirms the principle that, absent the critical element of causation, merely…

Read More Court Dismisses Attorney’s Disability Discrimination Claims
Share This:

In a lawsuit captioned Batista v. Best Buy Stores, NY Sup Ct Index 151565-2016 (filed 2/25/16), plaintiff – a member of Best Buy’s “Geek Squad” – alleges that she was subjected to discrimination based on her gender and race. She asserts claims of gender discrimination, hostile work environment, constructive discharge, and retaliation. She alleges, among other things,…

Read More Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Best Buy
Share This:

In Kamdem-Ouaffo v. Pepsico, Inc., 133 A.D.3d 825, 21 N.Y.S.3d 150, 152 (N.Y. App. Div. 2015), the Appellate Division, Second Department dismissed plaintiff’s claim brought pursuant to New York’s “whistleblower law”, codified at Labor Law § 740. Plaintiff alleged that his employment was terminated, his contract was not renewed, and he was not offered a…

Read More Court Dismisses Labor Law § 740 (Whistleblowing) Lawsuit Arising From Termination Following Formaldehyde Complaint
Share This:

Singh v. Covenant Aviation Sec., LLC, 131 A.D.3d 1158, 1159-60, 16 N.Y.S.3d 611 (N.Y. App. Div. 2d Dept. 2015) illustrates the difference between the New York State Human Rights Law, on the one hand, and the broader New York City Human Rights Law, on the other. Plaintiff, who identifies as Indian, worked for defendant as…

Read More Plaintiff Fired for Sleeping on the Job Survives Summary Judgment on NYC Human Rights Law (But Not NYS Human Rights Law) Claim
Share This: