“Stray Remarks” Doctrine in Employment Discrimination Law

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In Dotson v. City of Syracuse, et al., No. 18‐1020 (2d Cir. Feb. 27, 2019) (Summary Order), the Second Circuit reversed the district court’s grant of summary judgment on plaintiff’s claim of gender discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The court’s review/analysis was “limited to the issue whether [plaintiff] Dotson…

Read More Title VII Sex Discrimination Claim Revived
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From Lawtone-Bowles v. City of New York, 2019 WL 652593 (S.D.N.Y. 2019): [Plaintiff] alleges little more than a few stray remarks. “Big Daddy” and “cabbage patch baby” bear no facial connection to any protected characteristic. Rubin v. Abbott Labs., 2015 WL 5679644, at *8 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 23, 2015). A single excited utterance of the pejorative…

Read More “Big Daddy” and Other Remarks Were Insufficient to Plausibly Allege a Hostile Work Environment
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In Martin v. City University of New York, 2018 WL 6510805 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 11, 2018), the court, inter alia, dismissed plaintiff’s age and race discrimination claims. In doing so, the court cited and applied the so-called “stray remarks” doctrine. In support of the “inference of discrimination” element of plaintiff’s prima facie case, plaintiff advanced the following four remarks…

Read More Citing the “Stray Remarks” Doctrine, Court Dismisses Plaintiff’s Age and Race Discrimination Claims
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From Gebrial Rasmy, Plaintiff, v. Marriott International, Inc., d/b/a JW Marriott Essex House Hotel, et al., Defendants., 2018 WL 4682231 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 28, 2018): Plaintiff writes in his opposition brief that Efstratiou would tell Plaintiff, who he knew to be a devout Christian, that “God is garbage” and “Religions [are] for the stupid people,” but…

Read More Court Dismisses Christian’s “Anti-Religion” Discrimination/Hostile Work Environment Claim; Comments Not Made Directly to Plaintiff Deemed “Stray Remarks”
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In Fields v. New York City Health and Hospital Corporation, 17-cv-6042, 2018 WL 3518506 (E.D.N.Y. July 20, 2018), the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, inter alia, dismissed plaintiff’s claims of race and national origin discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the New York City Human…

Read More Discrimination, Hostile Work Environment, Retaliation Claims Dismissed Against NYC Health & Hospital Corporation
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In Lowe v. Mount Sinai Health System, Inc., 16-cv-6074, 2018 WL 2089345 (S.D.N.Y. 2018), the court dismissed plaintiff’s claims of race discrimination (termination), hostile work environment, and retaliation. Plaintiff testified at her deposition that, e.g., her supervisor (Lopiano) made racial comments, such as “why don’t you go back to Haiti” and “you can’t even speak…

Read More Citing “Stray Remarks” Doctrine and Plaintiff’s Mistakes, Court Dismisses Discrimination, Hostile Work Environment, and Retaliation Claims
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In Esar v. JP Morgan Chase Bank N.A., 15-cv-382, 2018 WL 2075421 (E.D.N.Y. May 3, 2018), the court (inter alia) dismissed plaintiff’s hostile work environment claims. Plaintiff asserted that she was subjected to an “atmosphere of adverse action”, namely (i) lobby cleaning assignments, (ii) covering for one week at another branch, (iii) unpacking branch supplies,…

Read More Hostile Work Environment Claims Dismissed Against JP Morgan Chase Bank
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In Blair v. Brooklyn Transportation Corp., 17-cv-383, 2018 WL 1581974 (E.D.N.Y. March 30, 2018), the court (inter alia) denied defendant’s motion to dismiss plaintiff’s gender discrimination claim. From the decision: Plaintiff’s allegations are sufficient for the Court to infer that Defendant discriminated against Plaintiff. Defendant was aware of Plaintiff’s transgender status because, when Plaintiff began…

Read More Transgender Discrimination Case Continues Against Brooklyn Transportation Corp.
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In Testa v. CareFusion, 2018 WL 1611378 (E.D.N.Y. April 3, 2018), the court granted defendant’s summary judgment motion on plaintiff’s federal age discrimination claim under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). From the decision: The only evidence upon which plaintiff relies are alleged stray remarks made by Stuckert [the person to whom plaintiff directly…

Read More Age Discrimination Claim Dismissed Against CareFusion; Comments Were “Stray Remarks”
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In Picault v. World Business Lenders, 16-cv-3682, 2018 WL 748975 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 7, 2018) (J. Oetken), the Southern District of New York dismissed plaintiff’s (a Haitian-American man) national origin discrimination lawsuit. The court explained that a discrimination plaintiff “must satisfy his initial burden by showing (1) that he belonged to a protected class; (2) that…

Read More Citing “Stray Remarks” Doctrine, Court Dismisses National Origin Discrimination Case Based on “Haitian Voodoo” Comment
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