February 2019

In Akinde v. New York City Health & Hosps. Corp., 2019 NY Slip Op 01493 (App. Div. 1st Dept. Feb. 28, 2019), the court unanimously affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s discrimination and hostile work environment claims on statute-of-limitations grounds, and of plaintiff’s retaliation claim on the merits. As to the former, the court explained: Plaintiff’s…

Read More Hostile Work Environment Claim Dismissal, on Statute of Limitations Grounds, Affirmed
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In Kleber v. CareFusion Corp., No. 17-1206 (7th Cir. Jan. 23, 2019), the court held that the section of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) prohibiting “disparate impact” discrimination does not apply to job applicants. That section, 4(a)(2), makes it unlawful for an employer to limit, segregate, or classify his employees in any way…

Read More 7th Circuit: ADEA’s “Disparate Impact” Section Does Not Apply to Job Applicants
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In a recently-filed complaint – captioned Stover v. Amazon.com, LLC et al, 19-cv-00054 (E.D.Ky Feb. 15, 2019) – the plaintiff alleges that the defendants subjected him to discrimination based on his disability (Chron’s disease). Plaintiff claims, specifically, that defendants terminated him because of “time theft” due to “excessive bathroom breaks” – which, he contends, were…

Read More Disability Discrimination Lawsuit Against Amazon
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In Page v. Half Hollow Hills Central School District, 16-cv-4710, 2019 WL 764748, (E.D.N.Y. Feb. 20, 2019), the court, inter alia, granted defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s race discrimination claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 1981, and the New York State Human Rights Law. The court…

Read More Race Discrimination Case Dismissed; Loss of License Rendered Plaintiff “Unqualified” For Position
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In Page v. Half Hollow Hills Central School District, 16-cv-4710, 2019 WL 764748, (E.D.N.Y. Feb. 20, 2019), the court, inter alia, granted defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s hostile work environment claim on the ground that plaintiff did not address that claim in his papers opposing the motion. Here, defendants sought summary judgment on…

Read More Hostile Work Environment Claim, Unaddressed in Summary Judgment Opposition, Deemed Abandoned
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From Gallagher v. Pepe Auto Group et al, 18-cv-3433, 2019 WL 801955 (SDNy Feb. 21, 2019): Here, the arbitration agreement, which provides, “Any dispute under this Agreement shall be resolved by binding arbitration,” is broad. Therefore, there is a presumption of arbitrability regarding plaintiff’s claims that arise under the Employment Agreement. Those claims include plaintiff’s…

Read More Employment Discrimination Claims (But Not Post-Termination Claims) Subject to Arbitration
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In O’Halloran v. Metropolitan Transp. Auth., 2019 NY Slip Op 01318 (App. Div. 1st Dept. Feb. 21, 2019), an employment discrimination case, the Appellate Division, First Department unanimously affirmed the lower court’s decision granting plaintiff’s motion (pursuant to CPLR 3124) compelling the defendant to provide certain discovery. Citing New York CPLR 3101(a) and relevant case law,…

Read More Order Compelling Discovery in Employment Discrimination Case Affirmed
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From Lawtone-Bowles v. City of New York, 2019 WL 652593 (S.D.N.Y. 2019): [Plaintiff] alleges little more than a few stray remarks. “Big Daddy” and “cabbage patch baby” bear no facial connection to any protected characteristic. Rubin v. Abbott Labs., 2015 WL 5679644, at *8 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 23, 2015). A single excited utterance of the pejorative…

Read More “Big Daddy” and Other Remarks Were Insufficient to Plausibly Allege a Hostile Work Environment
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On February 14, 2019, New York Governor Cuomo signed the “Child Victims Act,” powerful and important legislation which strengthens the rights of those victimized by child abusers. The legislation: Increases the amount of time during which perpetrators of these crimes may be held criminally accountable; Allows victims of these crimes to commence a civil lawsuit…

Read More Governor Cuomo Signs the “Child Victims Act”
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