WDNY

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Unlike Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the New York State and City Human Rights Laws do provide for individual liability in certain circumstances. A recent decision, Popat v. Levy et al, No. 1:15-CV-01052 EAW, 2017 WL 2210762 (W.D.N.Y. May 19, 2017), explains and applies the principles regarding individual liability under the…

Read More Race/National Origin Discrimination Claims Plausibly Alleged Against Individual
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In Evert v. Wyoming Cty. Cmty. Health Sys., No. 14-CV-912S, 2017 WL 1832051 (W.D.N.Y. May 8, 2017) (J. Skretny), the court dismissed plaintiff’s gender discrimination/harassment claim. Plaintiff, a prison nurse, alleged, among other things, that corrections officers began harassing her after she received a letter from an inmate she had treated. After reciting the law…

Read More Court Explains Reasons For Dismissing Prison Nurse’s Title VII Gender-Based Hostile Work Environment Claim
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In Campbell v. Nat’l Fuel Gas Distribution Corp., No. 1:13-CV-00438 EAW, 2017 WL 1957829 (W.D.N.Y. May 11, 2017), the court granted defendant’s motion for summary judgment and dismissed plaintiff’s Title VII gender discrimination claim. While plaintiff presented sufficient evidence to establish a prima facie case, her case fell apart at the third step of the analysis.…

Read More Title VII Gender Discrimination Case Dismissed; Actions By “Tough Supervisor” Who “Did Not Like” Plaintiff Not Shown to Have Exhibited Unlawful Bias
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In Small v. State of New York et al, No. 12-CV-1236S, 2017 WL 1176032 (W.D.N.Y. Mar. 30, 2017), the court denied defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s hostile work environment claim. In sum, plaintiff, a school teacher who worked at Attica Correctional Facility, alleged that a Corrections Officer (Cuer) subjected her to unwanted romantic…

Read More Prison Teacher’s Hostile Work Environment and Retaliation Claims Continue
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In Black v. Buffalo Meat Serv., Inc., No. 15CV49S, 2017 WL 1196469 (W.D.N.Y. Mar. 31, 2017) – a race/sex hostile work environment and constructive discharge case – the court ruled on the parties’ respective discovery motions. The facts, as summarized by the court: Plaintiff claims that defendants created a hostile work environment on the basis…

Read More Court Declines to Order Production of Plaintiff’s Tax Returns in Race/Sex Hostile Work Environment Case
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In Grigoryou v. Pallet Servs., Inc., No. 1:13-CV-526-RJA-MJR, 2017 WL 722534 (W.D.N.Y. Jan. 25, 2017), report and recommendation adopted, No. 13-CV-526-A, 2017 WL 712607 (W.D.N.Y. Feb. 23, 2017),[1]The below excerpts are from the 1/25/17 Amended Report & Recommendation. the court granted defendant’s motion for summary judgement and dismissed plaintiff’s age discrimination (unlawful termination and hostile…

Read More Age Discrimination (Wrongful Termination & Hostile Work Environment) Claims Dismissed; Alleged Wrongdoing Was Insufficiently Connected to Plaintiff’s Age
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In Wiesen v. Guaranteed Home Mortgage, Inc., No. 14-CV-6649, 2017 WL 131741 (W.D.N.Y. Jan. 13, 2017), the court denied defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s sexual harassment claims under Title VII. Plaintiff asserted that her alleged harasser (Schwaber) was in a supervisory position with respect to her as branch manager; defendant countered that Schwaber…

Read More Sexual Harassment Hostile Work Environment Claims Survive Summary Judgment in Light of Fact Issue as to Whether Alleged Harasser Was Plaintiff’s “Supervisor” or “Co-Worker”
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In Kasperek v. N.Y. State, Dep’t of Corr. & Cmty. Supervision, No. 16-CV-671V, 2017 WL 85426 (W.D.N.Y. Jan. 10, 2017), the court recommended the denial of defendant’s motion to dismiss plaintiff’s claim of sex-based hostile work environment. The facts (in part), as summarized by the court: The events pertaining to this case began on October…

Read More Penis Graffiti Among Allegations in Sufficiently-Alleged Sex-Based Hostile Work Environment Claim
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In Green v. Avis Budget Grp., Inc., No. 11-CV-00269V(F), 2017 WL 35452 (W.D.N.Y. Jan. 4, 2017), the court dismissed plaintiff’s employment discrimination (disparate treatment), hostile work environment, and retaliation claims. Here I’ll discuss the court’s evaluation of the “adverse employment action” element of the prima facie case[1]“To establish a prima facie case of employment discrimination…

Read More Criticism of Work, Failure to Provide Desired Schedule (Etc.) Were Not “Adverse Employment Actions”
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We’ve seen one judge warn a lawyer not to call their adversary an “asshole” in private correspondence. Now we have a decision imposing a $4,700 fine/sanction on a lawyer for (e.g.) calling their adversary a “racist” during a deposition. In Scott-Iverson v. Indep. Health Ass’n, Inc., No. 13-CV-451V(F), 2016 WL 7320067 (W.D.N.Y. Dec. 15, 2016), the…

Read More Court Imposes $4,700 Fine on Lawyer For (e.g.) Calling Adversary a “Racist” During Employment Discrimination Deposition
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