New York’s common-law “faithless servant doctrine” provides that “an agent that breaches its fiduciary duty of loyalty to its principal forfeits its right to compensation for the period of its disloyalty.” Supreme Showroom, Inc. v. Branded Apparel Group LLC, 2018 WL 3148357, at *8 (S.D.N.Y. June 27, 2018). As one court explained: New York law…
Read More The “Faithless Servant Doctrine” Under New York LawIn International Business Machines Corporation v. Naganayagam, 2017 WL 5633165 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 21, 2017), the court explained and applied the “employee choice doctrine” pertaining to restrictive covenants in a contract of employment. Initially, the court found that the defendant breached his employment contract with IBM (his former employer) by proceeding to work for a competitor,…
Read More Court Explains the “Employee Choice Doctrine” Relating to Non-Competition AgreementIn Nusbaum v. E-Lo Sportswear LLC, 2017 WL 5991787 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 1, 2017), teh court held that the plaintiff and defendant entered into a legally enforceable employment contract for, inter alia, nine months’ severance pay if plaintiff was terminated. In reaching this conclusion, the court applied the so-called “Winston factors”, based on Winston v. Midiafare…
Read More Court Finds Severance Agreement Existed; Holds Defendant Liable for Breach of ContractIn Kenney v. State of New York, Office of Children and Family Services, 16-cv-4522, 2017 WL 5633166 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 20, 2017), the court granted in part and denied in part defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s sexual harassment claims. In sum, plaintiff asserted claims of “hostile work environment” and “quid pro quo” sexual harassment…
Read More Hostile Work Environment Claim, Arising From Conduct of Non-Supervisor Co-Worker, Survives Summary JudgmentIn Williams v. New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens, 16-3207-cv, 2017 WL 4461020 (2d Cir. Oct. 6, 2017) (Summary Order), the court affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s race-based failure-to-hire discrimination claim. Here are the facts, as (briefly) summarized by the court: Williams alleges that the Hospital stopped considering his employment application after a prospective…
Read More Failure-to-Hire Case Properly Dismissed, Notwithstanding “Bad” and “Unfair” Treatment