From St. Jean Jeudy v. City of New York, 2016 NY Slip Op 06045 (App. Div. 1st Dept. Sept. 15, 2016): It is undisputed that plaintiff made out the first three elements of his claim of invidious employment discrimination under the State and City [Human Rights Laws]. We find that he also made out the fourth…
Read More Accent-Based Race/National Origin Discrimination Claims Survive Motion to DismissIn a recently-filed Manhattan federal court complaint, captioned Davy v. Darren Davy (SDNY 16-07083), plaintiff Angela Maria Puerta – a nanny and housekeeper who worked for defendants Darren Davy and Asmaa Davy – asserts claims of unpaid wages, hostile work environment, and unlawful termination. From the complaint: 1. For more than two years, [plaintiff] worked…
Read More Nanny/Housekeeper’s Wage/Hour, Hostile Work Environment, Unlawful Termination Allegations Against Darren & Asmaa DavyA recent decision, Frazier v. City of New York Dep’t of Correction, No. 14-CV-1224 (KAM)(PK), 2016 WL 4444775 (E.D.N.Y. Aug. 23, 2016), addressed whether certain alleged actions were “adverse employment actions” sufficient to support a proposed complaint amendment to add a claim of retaliation. Initially, the court addressed the procedural issue of whether plaintiff should be…
Read More Court Rejects Motion to Amend Complaint to Add Retaliation Claim; Informal Reprimands Were Not “Adverse Employment Actions”In Fisher v. Mermaid Manor Home for Adults, LLC, No. 14-CV-3461 (WFK)(JO), 2016 WL 3636021 (E.D.N.Y. June 29, 2016), the court denied defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s race/national origin-based hostile work environment claim. Plaintiff sued after being apprised by co-workers of an Instagram post which “consisted of two photographs of Plaintiff contrasted with a…
Read More Instagram “Planet of the Apes” Comparison Results in Denial of Summary Judgment in Race/National Origin Discrimination (Hostile Work Environment) CaseIn Franchino v. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, No. 15 CV 6299 (VB), 2016 WL 3360525, at (S.D.N.Y. June 15, 2016), the court dismissed plaintiff’s complaint for discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity, national origin, and age under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim. In dismissing his Title VII…
Read More SDNY Dismisses Employment Discrimination Complaint Asserting Unequal Discipline and Age-Related Jokes and CommentsIn Altman v. New Rochelle Pub. Sch. Dist., No. 13-CV-3253 (NSR), 2016 WL 3181153 (S.D.N.Y. June 2, 2016), the court denied defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s national origin discrimination claim. “In order to establish a prima facie case of discriminatory termination of employment [under Title VII], the plaintiff must show that she belongs to…
Read More Title VII Plaintiff Survives Summary Judgment on National Origin Discrimination ClaimIn Kasiotakis v. Macy’s Retail Holdings, Inc., No. 14 CIV. 462 CM, 2015 WL 6125356 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 16, 2015), the court granted defendant Macy’s motion for summary judgment as to plaintiff’s national origin discrimination complaint. The court explained that plaintiff failed to prove “pretext” as part of the burden-shifting analysis as provided for by McDonnell…
Read More Greek Ancestry Not Connected to Termination; Discrimination Case DismissedThe Southern District of New York’s recent decision in Hiralall v. Sentosacare, LLC, No. 13 CIV. 4437 (GBD), 2016 WL 1126530 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 18, 2016) demonstrates that nepotism – defined here as “favouritism shown to relatives or close friends by those with power or influence” – does not, at least in this case, rise to the…
Read More Nepotism Insufficient to Establish Race/National Origin DiscriminationIn Lopez v. Advantage Plumbing & Mech. Corp., No. 15-CV-4507 (AJN), 2016 WL 1268274 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 31, 2016), the court held, among other things, that plaintiffs could amend their complaint to add a national origin discrimination (hostile work environment) claim under the NYC Human Rights Law (but not federal or state law) based on defendants’ “English-only”…
Read More “English Only” National Origin Discrimination Hostile Work Environment Claim Plausibly Alleged Under NYC Human Rights LawIn a lawsuit captioned Tomahawk v. 207-215 W 98th St. Condominium et al (NY Sup. Ct. NY Cty. 152509/2016, filed March 23, 2016), the plaintiff – a disabled Native American and Hispanic porter at a Manhattan building – alleges that he was subjected to discrimination based on his disability and Native American heritage. From the…
Read More Disparaging Remarks About Native Americans Alleged in Manhattan Employment Discrimination Lawsuit