In a lawsuit filed on May 6, 2015 in the Supreme Court of the State of New York and captioned Hayblum v. Life Alert Emergency Response, Inc. et al, plaintiff alleges that his former employer – the company known for its “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” advertisements – subjected him to employment…
Read More Employment Discrimination Lawsuit Against the “I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up” CompanyAccording to a recent article, employers may be finding new ways to mask age discrimination in hiring – namely, by advertising and/or stating a preference for so-called “digital natives.” A “digital native” – as opposed to a “digital immigrant” – has been defined as “a person who was born just before during or after the general…
Read More Ads Seeking “Digital Natives” May Evidence Age DiscriminationHere is the federal court complaint filed by Philippa Okoye against her employer deVere Group on May 18, 2015. She alleges hostile work environment sexual harassment, gender discrimination, associational race discrimination (in light of her husband, Lawrence Okoye’s, race), religion-based discrimination, and retaliation under the New York City Human Rights Law.
Read More Philippa Okoye’s Employment Discrimination Lawsuit Against DeVere GroupIn Cooney v. City of New York Dept. of Sanitation, 2015 NY Slip Op 03465 (App. Div. 1st Dept. Apr. 28, 2015), the Appellate Division, First Department reversed a lower court decision to dismiss plaintiff’s failure-to-hire disability discrimination claims for failure to state causes of action under the New York State and New York City Human…
Read More Psoriasis-Suffering Plaintiff Suffiiently Pleads Disability DiscriminationIn Gewirtz v. New York City Dept. of Educ., 2015 NY Slip Op 50713(U) (NY Sup. Qns. Cty. May 4, 2015), the court denied defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s disability discrimination (failure to accommodate) and retaliation claims under the New York State Human Rights Law (SHRL) and New York City Human Rights Law (CHRL).…
Read More Teacher’s Disability Discrimination (Failure to Accommodate) and Retaliation Claims ContinueHere 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 Contractor