August 2018

In a recently-filed lawsuit, captioned Kelly Cahill et al v. Nike, Inc. (U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, Index No. 18-cv-01477, filed August 9, 2018), the plaintiffs (individually and on behalf of others similarly situated) allege gender discrimination under the federal Equal Pay Act, 29 U.S.C. § 206(d) and related state laws (the…

Read More Just Sue It: Gender Discrimination Lawsuit Against Nike
Share This:

In Keaton v. Unique People Services, Inc., 15-cv-5354, 2018 WL 3708658 (S.D.N.Y., 2018), the court granted defendants’ (unopposed) motion for summary judgment motion and dismissed plaintiff’s employment discrimination claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, finding that the persons to whom plaintiff sought to compare herself were not “similarly situated” to…

Read More Title VII Discrimination Claim Dismissed; Comparators Were Not “Similarly Situated” to Plaintiff
Share This:

In McLeod v. General Vision Services, Inc. et al, 13-cv-6824, 2018 WL 3745662 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 6, 2018), the court, inter alia, granted defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s race discrimination claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 42 USC 1981, but denied it with respect to plaintiff’s race discrimination claim…

Read More Race Discrimination (Termination) Claim Survives Under City, But Not Federal, Law
Share This:

In McLeod v. General Vision Services, Inc. et al, 13-cv-6824, 2018 WL 3745662 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 6, 2018), the court, inter alia, denied defendants’ motion on plaintiff’s race- and age-based hostile work environment claims. The court noted – in the portion of the decision where it assessed plaintiff’s race discrimination claims[1]The court dismissed plaintiff’s race discrimination claims…

Read More Hostile Work Environment Claim Survives Summary Judgment; Evidence Included Racial Epithets
Share This:

In Spano v. New Team LLC, No. 153586/16, 2018 WL 3646977, 2018 N.Y. Slip Op. 31829(U) (Sup Ct, New York County Aug. 01, 2018), plaintiff alleged that defendants failed to hire and promote her because she was not a first-generation Italian, and that defendants improperly terminated her after she complained of discriminatory conduct. The court, inter…

Read More Citing Preference for “First Generation Italian”, Court Denies Motion to Dismiss Employment Discrimination Claim
Share This:

In Mohan v. City of New York et al, 17-cv-3820, 2018 WL 3711821 (SDNY Aug. 3, 2018), the court, inter alia, dismissed plaintiff’s race-based hostile work environment claim. The court began by reciting the well-established “black letter” law applicable to hostile work environment claims: A hostile work environment claim is composed of a series of separate acts…

Read More Hostile Work Environment Claim Dismissed; Secondhand Knowledge of “Black Guy” Comment Insufficient
Share This:

In Green v. Price Chopper, Inc., 2018 NY Slip Op 05578 (App. Div. 2nd Dept. Aug. 1, 2018), a personal injury trip-and-fall case, the court held that the defendant supermarket was not entitled to summary judgment on liability. Plaintiff testified that she tripped and fell over a raised portion of a rubber mat near the supermarket…

Read More Raised Mat Not “Trivial” Defect as a Matter of Law; Summary Judgment for Defendants Reversed
Share This:

In Refermat v. Lancaster Central School District, 14-CV-0712, 2018 WL 3640220 (W.D.N.Y. Aug. 1, 2018), the court adopted a Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation to grant defendant’s summary judgment motion as to plaintiff’s constructive discharge claim, but to deny it as to plaintiff’s hostile work environment and retaliation claims. In this blog post I will…

Read More Dispute as to Discriminatory Intent Supports Denial of Summary Judgment as to Plaintiff’s Hostile Work Environment Claim
Share This:

In Thomas v. Jonathan Mintz, Commissioner New York City Department of Consumer Affairs and the City of New York, 2018 NY Slip Op 51169(U), 2018 WL 3652302 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. N.Y. Cty. Aug. 1, 2018), the court, inter alia, dismissed plaintiff’s race- and sex-based hostile work environment claims under the New York State and City Human Rights…

Read More Race, Sex-Based Hostile Work Environment Claims Dismissed; “Sporadic Hostile Behavior” Insufficient
Share This:

In Suri v. Grey Global Group, Inc., 2018 NY Slip Op 05627 (App. Div. 1st Dept. August 2, 2018), the Appellate Division, First Department, modified a lower court decision, finding that summary judgment was improperly granted to defendant on plaintiff’s sexual harassment claim under the NYC Human Rights Law.[1]It nonetheless agreed that the lower court properly…

Read More Hostile Work Environment / Sexual Harassment Claim Under the NYC Human Rights Law Resurrected From Summary Judgment Dismissal
Share This: