Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

In Reid et al v. County of Erie, 2017 WL 4676833 (WDNY Oct. 16, 2017), the court dismissed plaintiff’s race discrimination case, finding that the “written warning” plaintiff received was not an “adverse employment action.” The court explained, inter alia, that (generally), “[n]egative performance evaluations, formal reprimands, and counseling memoranda are not adverse employment actions…

Read More Written Warning Was Not an “Adverse Employment Action”; Race Discrimination Claim Dismissed
Share This:

In Lawson v. Homenuk, 2017 WL 4534779 (2d Cir. Oct. 11, 2017) (Summary Order), the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s disability-based hostile work environment claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the New York State Human Rights Law. From the Order: Although Lawson argues that her coworkers “constantly”…

Read More Hostile Work Environment & Constructive Discharge Claims Properly Dismissed in Light of Contradiction Between Deposition and Summary Judgment Affidavit
Share This:

In Holcomb v. State University of New York at Fredonia, 2017 WL 4511381 (2d Cir. Oct. 10, 2017) (Summary Order), the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s retaliation claims. In sum, the court held that plaintiff failed to prove that she suffered an adverse action as a result of her sexual harassment complaint. From…

Read More Sexual Harassment Complaint Was Not a “Motivating Factor” for Adverse Actions; Retaliation Claims Properly Dismissed
Share This:

On September 26, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit heard oral argument in the case of Zarda v. Altitude Express, Case No. 15-3775. At issue is whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’s prohibition of discrimination “because of … sex” extends to sexual orientation. One of the interesting aspects…

Read More Second Circuit Hears Oral Argument in Title VII Sexual Orientation Discrimination Case
Share This:

In Williams v. New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens, 16-3207-cv, 2017 WL 4461020 (2d Cir. Oct. 6, 2017) (Summary Order), the court affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s race-based failure-to-hire discrimination claim. Here are the facts, as (briefly) summarized by the court: Williams alleges that the Hospital stopped considering his employment application after a prospective…

Read More Failure-to-Hire Case Properly Dismissed, Notwithstanding “Bad” and “Unfair” Treatment
Share This:

In Cherry v. NYC Housing Authority et al, 15-cv-6949, 2017 WL 4357344 (E.D.N.Y. Sept. 29, 2017) (J. Brodie), the court held (inter alia) that plaintiff sufficiently alleged gender discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the New York State Human Rights Law. Plaintiff – a black male – alleged, among…

Read More Male Worker’s Gender Discrimination Among Claims Surviving Dismissal
Share This:

In Pouncy v. Advanced Focus LLC, 2017 WL 428094 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 25, 2017), the court (inter alia) granted defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s retaliation claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 1981, and the New York City Human Rights Law.[1]I wrote about the court’s dismissal of plaintiff’s…

Read More Retaliation Claims Dismissed Due to Absence of “Protected Activity”; Plaintiff’s Complaints Were Unrelated to a Legally Protected Characteristic
Share This:

In Pouncy v. Advanced Focus LLC, 2017 WL 428094 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 25, 2017), a race discrimination case, the court granted defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s race-based hostile work environment claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 1981, and the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL). As…

Read More Hostile Work Environment Was Not “Because Of” Race; Summary Judgment Granted to Defendant
Share This:

A recent decision, Dudley v. New York City Housing Authority, 2017 WL 4315010 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 25, 2017), reaffirms the principle that a hostile work environment claim must arise from hostility because of a protected characteristic. In this case, plaintiff alleged that he “was subjected to a hostile work environment in retaliation for his prior protected…

Read More Court Dismisses “Retaliatory Hostile Work Environment” Claims
Share This:

In Rogers v. Bank of New York Mellon, 2017 WL 4157376 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 19, 2017), the court granted defendants’ motion for reconsideration and dismissed plaintiff’s claims of race- and color-based pay discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights of 1964, the New York State Human Rights Law, and the New York City…

Read More Race/Color-Based Pay Discrimination Claims Dismissed on Reconsideration
Share This: