Hostile Work Environment

In Watkins v. First Student, Inc., 2018 WL 1135480 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 28, 2018), the court dismissed plaintiff’s race- and gender-based hostile work environment claims. Here, those claims faltered – as many do – because the alleged “hostility” was not due to plaintiff’s protected class(es). From the decision: Taking the allegations of the Complaint, the May…

Read More Hostile Work Environment Claims Against First Student, Inc. Fail Due to Lack of Connection Between Alleged Bullying Etc. and Protected Class(es)
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In Montanez v. McDean LLC, No. 16-cv-447, 2018 WL 1183688 (N.D.N.Y. March 6, 2018), the court granted defendant’s motion for summary judgment as to plaintiff’s hostile work environment sexual harassment claim, asserted under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. After explaining the legal standard for making out a hostile work environment claim,…

Read More Sexual Harassment Claim Dismissed; “Quickly Rebuffed” “Suggestive Remarks” Insufficient
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In Perry v. Captain Robert Slensby, 16-cv-8947, 2018 WL 1136922 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 28, 2018), the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York denied defendant’s motion to dismiss plaintiff’s hostile work environment sexual harassment claim. The facts, in (very brief) part: Plaintiff reports that on one occasion during their night shift Defendant said…

Read More Male-on-Male Sexual Harassment Claim Survives Dismissal; Court Cites Vulgar Comment and Physical Touching
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In Coello v. The Riese Organization Inc., 2018 WL 1051730 (N.Y.Sup.), 2-3, 2018 N.Y. Slip Op. 30309(U) (N.Y. Sup. Ct. Bx. Cty. jan. 5, 2018), the court, inter alia, denied defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s claims of race discrimination, retaliation, and hostile work environment under the New York State and City Human Rights…

Read More Race Discrimination, Hostile Work Environment, and Retaliation Claims Continue Against The Riese Organization
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From Abdelal v. Kelly, No. 17-1166, 2018 WL 992307 (2d Cir. Feb. 21, 2018) (Summary Order): The district court analyzed timeliness based solely on the IAB investigation that concluded on September 30, 2009. But Abdelal presented evidence of alleged harassment after that date. He contends that the Level II performance monitoring, which continued until September…

Read More Hostile Work Environment Claims Resurrected From Dismissal on Timeliness Grounds
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In Lai v. Deiorio Foods, Inc., 15-CV-0195, 2018 WL 987258 (N.D.N.Y. Feb. 20, 2018), the court granted defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s claims of national origin discrimination and national origin-based hostile work environment. As to plaintiff’s discrimination claim, the court explained: Plaintiff alleges that Kucevic harbored bias against her. Exs. at 11–12. However,…

Read More Court Dismisses National Origin Discrimination, Hostile Work Environment Claims; No Basis to Infer Anti-Vietnamese Animus
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In Dollinger v. New York State Insurance Fund, 2018 WL 832904 (2d Cir. Feb. 13, 2018) (Summary Order), the Second Circuit, inter alia, affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s hostile work environment claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act. From the Order: The District Court also correctly dismissed Dollinger’s ADA hostile-work-environment claim. We have not yet…

Read More ADA Hostile Work Environment Claim Properly Dismissed; Most of Alleged Harassment Related to Plaintiff’s Sexual Orientation
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In Matthews v. Hewlett-Packard Company, 15-cv-3922, 2017 WL 6804075 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 22, 2017), a race discrimination/hostile work environment/retaliation case, the court explained and applied the principles applicable to the admissibility of expert testimony – under FRE 702/Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579 (1993) – as to emotional distress damages. In sum, the court…

Read More Court Precludes Expert Testimony on Emotional Distress in Race Discrimination Case
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In Mula v. AbbVie, Inc., 15-CV-6563-FPG, 2018 WL 501277 (W.D.N.Y. Jan. 22, 2018), the court granted summary judgment to defendant on plaintiff’s hostile work environment and retaliation claims. In sum, plaintiff alleged that she was sexually harassed by her supervisor (McCutchan) and then subjected to retaliation for complaining about it. Among other things, plaintiff claimed that…

Read More Hostile Work Environment Claim Dismissed, In Light of Evidence That Employer Followed its Anti-Discrimination Policy
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One venue available to victims of employment discrimination – including being subjected to a hostile work environment – is to pursue a claim in the New York State Division of Human Rights, an administrative agency that enforces the New York State Human Rights Law. Proceeding in that forum, however, results in a relatively limited range…

Read More Court Summarizes Scope of Judicial Review of NYS Division of Human Rights Determinations; Upholds Dismissal of Hostile Work Environment and Constructive Discharge Claims
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