Employment Contracts

In Lord v. Marilyn Model Mgt., Inc., 2019 NY Slip Op 05093 (App. Div. 1st Dept. June 25, 2019), the court reversed the lower court’s dismissal of plaintiff’s claim for breach of contract arising from defendant’s failure to pay him severance. The facts, as summarized by the court: As alleged in the complaint, plaintiff was…

Read More Modeling Scout Sufficiently Alleges Claims Relating to Failure to Pay Severance, First Department Holds
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From Williams v New York City Transit Authority, No. 2017-02335, 505636/16, 2019 N.Y. Slip Op. 02747, 2019 WL 1549176 (N.Y.A.D. 2 Dept., Apr. 10, 2019): We agree with the Supreme Court’s determination that, based on the prior federal determination, the plaintiff is collaterally estopped from asserting the NYSHRL causes of action. The doctrine of collateral…

Read More Employment Discrimination Claims Properly Dismissed on the Ground of Collateral Estoppel
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In Westbrooke v. Bellevue Hospital Center et al, 2019 WL 233611 (SDNY Jan. 16, 2019), the court dismissed plaintiff’s complaint – alleging employment discrimination – with prejudice. In sum, plaintiff alleged that she was discriminated against on the basis of her age, gender, disability, and race, and then subjected to retaliation for complaining about it. After…

Read More Court Rejects “Economic Duress” Argument re Settlement of Employment Discrimination Claims
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In Alexander v. Possible Productions, Inc., 17-cv-5532, 2018 WL 4804638 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 4, 2018), the court denied defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiff’s claims of retaliation and sex-based discrimination/sexual harassment. In sum, plaintiff – who was employed by Showtime as a body double for the character Alison on the TV show “The Affair” – alleges that…

Read More Body Double’s Sexual Harassment Claims Survive Dismissal, Not Subject to Arbitration
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In Gilani v. Hewlett-Packard Company, 15-CV-5609, 2018 WL 4374002 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 12, 2018), the court addressed the issue of whether Hewlett-Packard was plaintiff’s “employer” for purposes of Title VII and the ADEA. Plaintiff was, pursuant to employment contract, “formally” employed by a company called Insight Global and worked at an HP location. Because of the…

Read More “Temporary” Employee May Pursue Discrimination Claims Against HP
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Jessica Denson, who worked for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign during the 2016 presidential election, asserted claims in a lawsuit – captioned Denson v. Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., Supreme Court, New York County, Index No. 101616/2017 (Sept. 7, 2018) – based on alleged mistreatment (including attempts to “find dirt on” her, cyberbullying, and harassment).…

Read More Court Declines to Compel Arbitration of Employment Claims Against Trump Campaign
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In Pozner v. Fox Broadcasting Co., 2018 NY Slip Op 30581(U), 2018 WL 1609513 (N.Y.Sup. Ct. Index 652096/2017 April 2, 2018), the court held that Fox Broadcasting stated a counterclaim for breach of contract, but not for breach of fiduciary duty, against a former executive vice president who was terminated from his employment based on…

Read More Fox Broadcasting Counterclaims Survive in Part Against Executive Terminated Due to Sexual Harassment Allegations
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From Garcia v. Habacus Constr., Inc., 2018 NY Slip Op 00397 (App. Div. 1st Dept. Jan. 23, 2018): The motion court correctly ruled that the alleged oral agreement between plaintiff and Habacus for a share of the company’s profits during the duration of plaintiff’s employment did not violate the statute of frauds. Plaintiff testified that the…

Read More Oral Agreement For Share of Company’s Profits Not Unenforceable Under Statute of Frauds, Court Holds
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From DeBello v. VolumeCocomo Apparel, Inc., 2017 WL 6616704, at *3 (C.A.2 (N.Y.), 2017): We conclude … that in the circumstances here, DeBello’s public policy argument does not overcome the presumption that “a valid forum-selection clause [should be] given controlling weight in all but the most exceptional cases.” Atl. Marine, 134 S.Ct. at 581 (alteration in…

Read More 2d Circuit: Employment Agreement’s Venue Selection Clause Trumps Title VII’s Venue Provision
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In International Business Machines Corporation v. Naganayagam, 2017 WL 5633165 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 21, 2017), the court explained and applied the “employee choice doctrine” pertaining to restrictive covenants in a contract of employment. Initially, the court found that the defendant breached his employment contract with IBM (his former employer) by proceeding to work for a competitor,…

Read More Court Explains the “Employee Choice Doctrine” Relating to Non-Competition Agreement
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