Employee Files Whistleblower and Age Discrimination Lawsuit Against Hotel Edison

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Last week employee Michael Spiegel filed suit against the Hotel Edison, alleging violations of New York’s general whistleblower statute (New York Labor Law § 740) and age discrimination under the NY State and City Human Rights Laws. Spiegel alleges that he was treated unfairly and then fired after complaining about dangerous open windows without window…

Read More Employee Files Whistleblower and Age Discrimination Lawsuit Against Hotel Edison
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Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Below is a picture of President Lyndon Johnson signing into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – one of the broadest-sweeping pieces of civil rights legislation in U.S. history – as Dr. King looks on. The date was July 2, 1964. Here’s video. Title VII of that…

Read More The Content of Their Character
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In a recently-issued summary order, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the district court’s dismissal, on summary judgment, of plaintiff’s hostile work environment, retaliation, and race, gender, and disability discrimination claims.  The case, Solomon v. Southampton Union Free School District, No. 11-3935-cv, 2012 WL 6097357 (Dec. 10, 2012), illustrates yet again…

Read More In Hostile Work Environment Cases, Context Counts
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Last week in Simmons-Grant v. Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, the Southern District of New York held that defendant law firm did not engage in race discrimination against an African American contract attorney.  Plaintiff argued that, as an African American attorney, she was given less lucrative work than other non-African American contract attorneys retained…

Read More Court Dismisses Attorney’s Race Discrimination and Retaliation Claims Against Law Firm
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Employment cases are often difficult to prove, and even the best-intentioned litigants with objectively reasonable factual and legal support for their claim(s) sometimes lose.  It happens.  Case outcomes are very difficult to predict, due to a variety of factors. A Memorandum and Order issued by Southern District Judge J. Paul Oetken last week in Tucker…

Read More Federal Judge Slams Lawyer For Making Baseless Allegations In Employment Case
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In a recent case, Chenzira v. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Med. Ctr., an Ohio federal court found that plaintiff stated a claim for religious discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Defendant fired plaintiff because plaintiff refused to get a flu shot.  Plaintiff alleged that this “violated her religious and philosophical convictions…

Read More Broccoli Worship? Federal Court Finds That Veganism Can Be A “Religion” Under Title VII
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In Hernandez v. Kaisman, 2012 NY Slip Op 09191 [103 AD3d 106], the Appellate Division, First Department recently clarified that hostile work environment claims brought under the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL) must be analyzed separately from, and more broadly than, similar claims brought under state and federal law. In this case the motion court…

Read More First Department Reinstates Plaintiff’s Sexual Harassment/Hostile Work Environment Claims Under the NYC Human Rights Law
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Seems like a straightforward question, right?  It’s the boss, the head honcho, the big cheese, the person who tells you what to do and (in some cases) is the subject of social media ranting.  However, the question is not so clear under federal anti-discrimination law, as illustrated by a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.…

Read More Who Is A “Supervisor”?
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In E.E.O.C. v. KarenKim, Inc., 116 Fair Empl Prac Cas (BNA) 385 (2d Cir. Oct. 19, 2012), No. 11-3309, the Second Circuit addressed when injunctive relief is proper to prevent further harassment.  Title VII itself provides for injunctive relief where a “court finds that the respondent has intentionally engaged in or is intentionally engaging in…

Read More Second Circuit: Injunctive Relief Should Have Been Granted In Harassment Case
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Last week the Second Circuit, in Payne v. Jones, held that a jury’s $300,000 punitive damages award to a police beating victim was excessive.  It thus remanded for a new trial on punitive damages, unless plaintiff agreed to remit $200,000 and accept a punitive damages award totaling $100,000. After plaintiff was brought to the hospital,…

Read More A $200,000 Kick To The Groin
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