In recent news, it has been reported that a bank called the police on a black Michigan man because it suspected fraud, upon his attempt to deposit checks – resulting from the settlement of a racial discrimination lawsuit. He is now suing the bank for engaging in race discrimination in a place of public accommodation.
Read More Ironic Lawsuit Against BankSixty-four years ago, on December 1, 1955, a 42-year-old woman named Rosa Parks took a seat on a bus en route home from a department store where she worked as a seamstress. Ms. Parks defied a directive from the bus driver to vacate her seat so that white passengers boarding the bus could sit; her…
Read More Rosa Parks’ LegacyFrom Solomon v. Amazon.com, Inc. et al, 2019 WL 2601794 (E.D.N.Y., 2019): Solomon “seeks permission to amend his complaint to add counts of discrimination on account of gender in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and of a denial to his right of access to a place of public accommodation…
Read More Whole Foods Customer Ban Upheld; Motion to Add Title II Gender-Based Public Accommodation Claim Denied on Ground of FutilityIn Akyar v. TD Bank US Holding Company, 18-CV-379, 2018 WL 4356734 (S.D.N.Y. 2018), the court (inter alia) dismissed plaintiff’s public accommodation discrimination claim under Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This decision turns on what venues qualify as “places of public accommodation” within the meaning of the statute. In sum, plaintiff alleged…
Read More Banks Are Not “Places of Public Accommodation” Within The Meaning of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Court HoldsIn Wu v. Jensen-Lewis Co., Inc., 2018 WL 5723122 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 1, 2018), the court (inter alia) held that the plaintiff plausibly stated a claim for public accommodation discrimination. Plaintiff, who is legally blind, asserted that defendants’ website is not compliant with federal law (the Americans with Disabilities Act) because it was not fully and…
Read More Website-Accessibility Disability Discrimination Plausibly Alleged, Court FindsIn a recently-filed lawsuit, captioned Jung v. Soho House, NY Sup Ct. NY Cty. Index No. 155882/2018 (filed June 22, 2018), plaintiff Hyun Jae Jung (known on Instagram as Miju Bijou) alleges, inter alia, that defendant Soho House’s “employees denied access of the Club to Plaintiff and her emotional support animal” – a French bulldog named…
Read More Lawsuit: Public Accommodation Discrimination Claim Against Soho House Following Support Dog-Based EjectionIn a 7-2 decision issued today, Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission (U.S. No. 16-111 June 4, 2018) (J. Kennedy), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to create a cake for a gay couple’s wedding because of his claimed religious opposition to same-sex marriage. Importantly,…
Read More SCOTUS Issues Narrow Decision in Baker’s Favor in “Gay Wedding Cake” CaseMuch has been written about an unfortunate incident in which two black men – Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson – were arrested while waiting for their friend/colleague in a Philadelphia Starbucks on April 12, 2018. For a recap, this article summarizes what happened and relatively recent developments, including Messrs. Nelson’s and Robinson’s retention of counsel.[1]If you…
Read More On Starbucks, “Sitting While Black,” and Public Accommodation DiscriminationIn Vasquez v. Manhattan Physician Group, 2018 WL 587135, 2018 N.Y. Slip Op. 30157(U) (N.Y. Sup. Ct. Jan. 29, 2018), the court denied the motion for summary judgment filed by defendant, a medical office, on plaintiff’s claim of sexual harassment under the New York City Human Rights Law. In sum, this cases arose from the…
Read More Public Accommodation Sexual Harassment is Actionable Under the NYC Human Rights Law, Court Holds