May 2017

In Nat’l Labor Relations Bd. v. Pier Sixty, LLC, No. 15-1841-AG (L), 2017 WL 1445028 (2d Cir. Apr. 21, 2017), as amended (May 9, 2017), the Second Circuit upheld a finding of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that an employer improperly terminated an employee in violation of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) for…

Read More Facebook Post Calling Supervisor “Nasty Mother Fucker” and Stating “Fuck His Mother and His Entire Fucking Family” Not So “Opprobrious” As to Lose Protection Under the NLRA
Share This:

Pursuant to a May 5, 2017 Consent Decree in EEOC v. Special Education Associates (EDNY 17-cv-1791) (a failure-to-hire sex discrimination case), the defendant must pay $57,000 in damages to the underlying complainant, comprising $20,000 in back pay and $37,000 in compensatory damages.[1]The Decree contains other remedial measures, such as requiring the defendant to distribute an antidiscrimination…

Read More EEOC Consent Decree Entered in Failure-to-Hire Sex Discrimination Case
Share This:

In Santiago v. Bernard F. Dowd, Inc., 2017 NY Slip Op 30791(U) (NY Sup. Ct. NY Cty. 160442/13, April 18, 2017) (J. Jaffe), the court denied defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s claim of same-sex hostile work environment sexual harassment under the New York City Human Rights Law. Plaintiff, a funeral director, presented evidence…

Read More “Corpse Genitalia” Sexual Harassment Case Survives Summary Judgment
Share This:

In Philpott v. State of New York, No. 16 CIV. 6778 (AKH), 2017 WL 1750398 (S.D.N.Y. May 3, 2017) (J. Hellerstein), the court denied defendant’s motion to dismiss plaintiff’s claims for sexual orientation discrimination, hostile work environment, and retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. From the opinion: [P]laintiff has adequately…

Read More Title VII Sexual Orientation Discrimination Claim Survives Motion to Dismiss
Share This:

On May 4, 2017, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed Introduction 1253-2016, a Local Law law that prohibits all NYC employers from inquiring about a prospective employee’s salary history. It takes effect 180 days after enactment. The Mayor underscored the purpose of the law, namely, stamping out income inequality: It is unacceptable that…

Read More Mayor de Blasio Signs Law Prohibiting Salary Inquiries
Share This:

In Rudzinski v. Jonathan L. Glashow, MD, PC, No. 502170/16, 2017 WL 1711665 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. May 1, 2017), the court held that plaintiff’s complaint contained sufficient facts to state a cognizable claim for violation of the New York State and City Human Rights Laws for unlawful discrimination and unlawful retaliation, as well as claims…

Read More Brooklyn Trial Court Holds that Plaintiff Sufficiently Alleged Hostile Work Environment Sexual Harassment Under the NYS and NYC Human Rights Laws, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, Assault, and Battery
Share This:

In Griffin v. Sirva, Inc., No. 35, 2017 WL 1712423 (N.Y. May 4, 2017), the New York Court of Appeals addressed three certified questions – posed to it by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit[1]Griffin v. Sirva Inc., 835 F3d 283 (2d Cir. 2016) – regarding liability under the New York State…

Read More Court of Appeals Clarifies Liability Under the NYS Human Rights Law Regarding Discrimination Based on Criminal Conviction
Share This:

Your employer says you did something wrong and fires you. You think that another co-worker did something similar, but they’re not fired. Is that unlawful discrimination? It might be. In one case, Redfern-Wallace v. Buffalo News, No. 16-3007-CV, 2017 WL 1479285 (2d Cir. Apr. 25, 2017) (Summary Order), it wasn’t. Generally, in order for a comparison…

Read More Race Discrimination, Hostile Work Environment, Retaliation Claims Properly Dismissed; Plaintiff and Alleged Comparator Were Not “Similarly Situated”
Share This:

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
Share This:

In Misas & McIntosh v. North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System & Julio Cardoza, No. 14CV08787ALCDCF, 2017 WL 1535112 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 27, 2017), the court (inter alia) denied defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiffs’ sexual harassment (hostile work environment) claims. From the decision: Contrary to Defendants’ argument, a rational trier of fact could easily…

Read More “Sausage Text Message” Among Evidence Leading to Sexual Harassment Claim Surviving Summary Judgment
Share This: