In Frederick v. JetBlue Airways Corp., No. 16-1373-CV, 2016 WL 6885714 (2d Cir. Nov. 22, 2016) (Summary Order), the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s employment discrimination claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) as being time-barred – i.e., filed…
Read More “Equitable Tolling” Does Not Save Time-Barred Discrimination ClaimsA recent decision, Forest v. NYS Office of Mental Health, No. 15-3950, 2016 WL 6917228 (2d Cir. Nov. 23, 2016) (Summary Order), illustrates that not every employer’s action qualifies as an “adverse employment action” sufficient to establish a retaliation claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In this case, the court…
Read More Title VII Retaliation Claim Properly Dismissed; Discipline Per Employer Policy and “Trivial Harms” Were Not “Adverse Employment Actions”In today’s political climate, it is more important than ever to protect workers from workplace discrimination, including sexual harassment and discrimination based on protected characteristics such as gender, race/color, religion, sexual orientation, and national origin. Last week the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal administrative agency tasked with enforcing, inter alia, Title VII of the…
Read More EEOC Issues Enforcement Guidance on National Origin DiscriminationIn Orosz v. Regeneron Pharm., Inc., No. 15-cv-8504, 2016 WL 6083993 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 17, 2016), the Southern District of New York adopted a Magistrate Judge’s Report & Recommendation denying plaintiff’s FRCP 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss plaintiff’s Title VII pregnancy discrimination claim on a “failure to hire” theory. SDNY Judge Nelson Roman summarized/outlined the law as…
Read More Title VII Pregnancy Discrimination Failure-to-Hire Lawsuit Against Pharmaceutical Company Survives DismissalAn upstate sexual harassment lawsuit, Knapp v. General Electric Company, 16-cv-00340, has been settled (under undisclosed terms) following mandatory mediation. Plaintiff alleged, in her March 23, 2016 federal court complaint, that she was constructively discharged after she complained about sexual harassment. Specifically, plaintiff alleged (e.g.) that a supervisor left her notes such as “you look sexy…
Read More Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against General Electric SettledIn Cargian v. Breitling USA, Inc., No. 15 CIV. 01084 (GBD), 2016 WL 5867445 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 29, 2016), U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels dismissed the complaint filed by plaintiff, a gay man, alleging claims of gender, sexual orientation, and age discrimination. (You can read about plaintiff’s lawsuit here.) Gender Discrimination/Stereotyping As to plaintiff’s Title…
Read More Distinguishing Between “Sexual Orientation Discrimination” and “Gender Stereotyping”, Court Dismisses Gay Man’s Discrimination ClaimIn Frederick v. United Bhd. of Carpenters & Joiners of Am., No. 15-1065, 2016 WL 6518812 (2d Cir. Nov. 3, 2016), the Second Circuit reminds us that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects against only a subset of arguably unfair workplace conduct. In affirming the district court’s dismissal of plaintiff’s employment…
Read More Unfair, But Not Unlawful: Court Again Reminds Us of the Limitations of Title VIIIn CHRISTIAN ESPINAL, Plaintiff, v. THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, RAMON MARTINEZ, Individually, KIM KADEL, Individually, & TERRI CALDES, Individually, Defendants., No. 16 CIV. 4100 (CM), 2016 WL 6561406 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 24, 2016), the court held that issues of fact precluded dismissal of plaintiff’s sexual harassment claims. Specifically, the court…
Read More Fact Issues Preclude Dismissal of Title VII Sexual Harassment and NYCHRL Aiding and Abetting Claim Against Columbia University; Alleged Release Not DispositiveIn Blair v. N.Y. City Transit Auth., No. 14-CV-5091 (ENV)(PK), 2016 WL 6405900 (E.D.N.Y. Oct. 27, 2016), the court dismissed plaintiff’s claims of gender, age, disability, race, and national origin employment discrimination claims. Plaintiff, a black man, worked as a bus driver for the NYC Transit Authority. NYCTA terminated him after an incident involving alleged…
Read More Race Discrimination Claim Dismissed; Alleged White Comparator Was Not “Similarly Situated in All Material Respects” to PlaintiffHalloween is a fun holiday. Not so, however, for employees forced to endure sexual harassment during a company Halloween party. In Maher v. All. Mortg. Banking Corp., No. CV 06-5073 DRH ARL, 2010 WL 3516153 (E.D.N.Y. Aug. 9, 2010), report and recommendation adopted, No. 06 CV 5073 DRH ARL, 2010 WL 3521921 (E.D.N.Y. Sept. 1,…
Read More Sexual Harassment During Company Halloween Party Among Facts of Case Resulting in $170,000 Compensatory Damages Award