Here is the complaint, captioned Matthew Luke v. Al Jazeera America and Osman Mahmud, NY Sup. Ct. NY Cty. Index No. 154219-2015 (Apr. 28, 2015), filed against news organization Al Jazeera and others. Plaintiff alleges that defendants retaliated against him after he opposed defendant Mahmud’s discriminatory acts against his colleagues on the basis of their gender,…
Read More Discrimination Lawsuit Against Al Jazeera AmericaAn employer recently learned the hard way that firing an employee – because she rejected his sexual advances – by text message is a bad idea. In Comm’n on Human Rights ex rel. Martinez v. Joseph “J.P.” Musso Home Improvement & Joseph Musso, OATH Index No. 2167/14 (Feb. 27, 2015), the New York City Office of Administrative…
Read More OMG LOL: Text Message Firing of Employee Who Opposed Sexual Harassment May Cost Employer $37KIn a lawsuit filed April 2, 2015 and captioned Lombardi v. CBS Broadcasting, Inc. et al., 15-cv-02516, plaintiff Lombardi asserts various claims against defendant CBS, including gender discrimination, retaliation, constructive discharge, aiding and abetting discrimination, and hostile work environment. Among other allegations, plaintiff (who is male) alleges that at CBS’ December 2013 holiday party, a…
Read More Same-Sex Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against CBSIn Suarez v. City of New York (EDNY 11-cv-5812 March 31, 2015), the Eastern District of New York dismissed the claims by plaintiff, a deckhand on the Staten Island Ferry (and employed by the NYC Department of Transportation), that she was sexually harassed by Warren, an AlliedBarton security guard, under the NYC Human Rights Law (NYCHRL). Addressing…
Read More Staten Island Ferry Security Company Not Liable For Sexual Harassment Perpetrated by its Employee Against Non-Employee DeckhandEmployment discrimination and hostile work environment claims are often difficult to prove, and frequently fail at the summary judgment stage. That is, there are many decisions in which a judge rules that there simply isn’t enough evidence to get to a jury on these issues. In that instance, the court is not taking on the…
Read More Plaintiff Gets to Jury on Race Discrimination and Hostile Work Environment Claims Against ContractorIn a Manhattan federal lawsuit filed on April 8, 2015 and captioned Alexander v. Freelancers Health Service Corporation, SDNY 15-cv-02710, plaintiff alleges that she was subjected to gender discrimination, sexual harassment, a hostile work environment, and retaliation. Specifically, plaintiff alleges (among other things) that her supervisor made sexual comments about plaintiff’s breasts (referring to them as “them double…
Read More Lawsuit Alleges “Musical” Sexual Harassment Resulting in Two Heart AttacksIn a recent gender discrimination lawsuit captioned Consing v. NYC Health & Hospitals Corp. and Zenaida Magnaye-Banzon, EDNY 15-cv-01548 (March 25, 2015), plaintiff, a man, asserts that the defendants failed to hire him because he is male. He asserts, for example (at paragraph 19) that Magnaye-Banzon told him that the position would “not work” for him because…
Read More Anti-Male Gender Discrimination Lawsuit Against NYC Health & Hospitals Corp.A federal court recently allowed plaintiff Michael Picarella, a now former HSBC senior vice president, to amend his complaint in his lawsuit against HSBC. The action, currently pending in the Southern District of New York, is captioned Picarella v. HSBC Securities (USA) Inc., 14-cv-04463. In his first amended complaint, filed 8/27/14, plaintiff alleged (among other…
Read More Fired HSBC Executive May Amend Complaint to Assert Retaliatory TerminationA recent Second Department decision, Messana v. Long Is. R.R. Co., 2015 NY Slip Op 01787 (decided March 4, 2015) illustrates the breadth of the New York City Human Rights Law – namely, the relatively high standard that a defendant must meet to secure summary judgment dismissing a claim for disability discrimination and retaliation. In…
Read More Decision Illustrates Breadth of NYC Human Rights LawHere is the lawsuit, captioned Bari Zahn v. Kaye Scholer LLP (NYS Sup. Ct. Index No. 152625/2015, March 17, 2015), filed by an attorney against her former employer. Plaintiff alleges, among other things, discrimination based on gender and perceived sexual orientation, as well as retaliation.
Read More Gender/Sexual Orientation Discrimination Lawsuit Against Law Firm Kaye Scholer