May 2015

Under New York’s “No Fault” automobile insurance system, first-party no-fault insurance benefits are not available to “occupants” of a motorcycle. But what exactly does it mean to be a motorcycle “occupant”? Consider, for example, the following accident scenario: a motorcycle passenger is ejected from her motorcycle, the motorcycle becomes airborne, and then lands on the…

Read More Ejected Motorcycle Passenger Was “Occupying” the Bike and Hence Not Entitled to First-Party Benefits Under New York’s No-Fault System
Share This:

In Sobhi v. Sociedad Textil Lonia Corp., No. 13 CIV. 8073 AT MHD, 2014 WL 7474338 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 30, 2014), the Southern District of New York held that plaintiff adequately alleged a “failure to accommodate” disability discrimination claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). From the decision: Although Defendant initially granted Plaintiff eight weeks…

Read More Employer’s Firing Plaintiff During Recovery Plausibly Suggests Failure to Accommodate Under the Americans with Disabilities Act
Share This:

In Raghavendra v. Bollinger, 2015 NY Slip Op 03775 (App. Div. 1st Dept. May 5, 2015), the court affirmed the lower court’s grant of summary judgment to defendant. This employment discrimination case (asserted under the New York State and City Human Rights Laws) illustrates how courts evaluate so-called failure to rehire cases, for statute of…

Read More Initial Rehire Refusal Triggers Statute of Limitations; Discrimination Action Was Time-Barred
Share This:

In a shocking development, the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska has issued a decision dismissing the “”lawsuit“” (one set of sarcastic quotation marks wasn’t enough, so I used two) filed last week by plaintiff Sylvia Ann Driskell against “Homosexuals”. (In her complaint, Ms. Driskell identifies herself as the “Ambassador” for God and Jesus…

Read More Court Dismisses Nebraska Woman’s Lawsuit Against Homosexuals
Share This:

In her personal injury lawsuit captioned Brouillette v. Lisa Kistermann et al. and filed in New York Supreme Court on May 4, 2015, plaintiff Robin Brouillette alleges that on March 25, 2015, defendants Lisa Kistermann and Jessica Kistermann caused her “to be precipitated down a set of stairs” and suffer injuries.

Read More Injury Lawsuit by Robin Brouillette Against Lisa and Jessica Kistermann
Share This:

In Palladino v. City of New York (App. Div. 2nd Dept. April 1, 2015), the court affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s trip-and-fall case. Plaintiff alleged that she was injured when she “tripped on a depression in the asphalt surface abutting a metal plate which covered a valve box that served a nearby fire hydrant.” The…

Read More Trip/Fall Case Dismissed; Half-Inch Deep Depression Was “Trivial” as a Matter of Law
Share This:

In Rollins v. Fencers Club, Inc. (App. Div. 1st Dept. May 5, 2015), the Appellate Division, First Department affirmed the denial of defendants’ motion for summary judgment dismissing plaintiff’s complaint alleging age discrimination in violation of the NYC Human Rights Law. As a result, plaintiff gets a trial on her claims. The court analyzed plaintiff’s…

Read More Age Discrimination Plaintiff Defeats Summary Judgment; Age-Related Comments Were Not “Stray Remarks”
Share This:

In Petyan v. New York City Law Dept., 14-cv-1434, 2015 WL 1855961 (SDNY April 23, 2015), the court recommended the dismissal of plaintiff’s national origin (Israeli) discrimination and hostile work environment claims, but held that plaintiff plausibly alleged retaliation in the form of a negative performance evaluation. The court held: The law in [the Second] Circuit…

Read More Retaliation Claim, But Not National Origin Discrimination Claim, Survives Dismissal
Share This: