In George Ful Ninying v. Fire Department, City of New York, 17-cv-688, 2017 WL 4570784 (E.D.N.Y. Oct. 11, 2017), the court dismissed – as insufficiently pled – plaintiff’s employment discrimination claims for failure to state a claim. Initially, the court explained that plaintiff sued the wrong entity (the FDNY). Specifically, the FDNY may not be…
Read More Employment Discrimination Claims Dismissed Against FDNYFrom McMahon v. Tomkins County, 16-CV-922, 2017 WL 4443884 (N.D.N.Y. Oct. 4, 2017) (J. Hurd): In determining whether a plaintiff suffered a hostile work environment, [a court] must consider the totality of the circumstances, including ‘the frequency of the discriminatory conduct; its severity; whether it is physically threatening or humiliating, or a mere offensive utterance; and whether…
Read More Hostile Work Environment Claim Dismissed; Unpleasantness Was Unrelated to Protected CharacteristicsIn Cherry v. NYC Housing Authority et al, 15-cv-6949, 2017 WL 4357344 (E.D.N.Y. Sept. 29, 2017) (J. Brodie), the court held (inter alia) that plaintiff sufficiently alleged gender discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the New York State Human Rights Law. Plaintiff – a black male – alleged, among…
Read More Male Worker’s Gender Discrimination Among Claims Surviving DismissalIn Weinstein v. City of New York, New York City Department of Sanitation, 2017 WL 3891699 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 5, 2017), the court held that plaintiff sufficiently alleged discrimination based on his race and religion under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and race, religion, and disability under the New York City Human Rights…
Read More Sanitation Worker’s Race, Color, & Disability Discrimination Claims Survive Motion to DismissIn Yang Zhao v. Keuka College, 2017 WL 3917145 (W.D.N.Y., 2017), plaintiff – a U.S. Citizen of Chinese origin – alleged that she was denied tenure because of her ethnicity, race, and national origin. The court held that plaintiff did not sufficiently allege a hostile work environment claim: Plaintiff has not alleged a hostile work…
Read More Hostile Work Environment Claim Not Alleged; Discrete Incident of Discrimination Relating to Denial of Tenure Not EnoughIn Butterfield-Bajinan v. City of New York, 2017 WL 4045175 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 11, 2017), the court granted defendant’s motion to dismiss plaintiff’s Title VII race discrimination claim as insufficiently alleged. The court explained what a plaintiff asserting such a claim must allege: To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint alleging employment discrimination under Title…
Read More Title VII Race Discrimination Claim Dismissed; Court Cites Lack of Alleged Racial Comments or Favorable Treatment of “Similarly Situated” Caucasian EmployeesIn Yang Zhao v. Keuka College, 2017 WL 3917145 (W.D.N.Y., 2017), plaintiff – a U.S. Citizen of Chinese origin – alleges that she was denied tenure because of her ethnicity, race, and national origin. The court granted plaintiff’s motion to amend her complaint to add a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1981, finding that plaintiff…
Read More Chinese Professor Plausibly Alleges Intentional Discrimination Under 42 U.S.C. 1981; May Amend ComplaintIn Kpaka v. City University of New York, 2017 WL 3866642 (2d Cir. 16-3527 Sept. 5, 2017) (Summary Order), the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s race discrimination claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The court explained the standards applicable to evaluating the sufficiency of a discrimination claim: To…
Read More Second Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Race Discrimination Claims as Time-Barred and Based on Different Treatment of a Non-Similarly-Situated White EmployeeIn Edwards v. Nicolai, 2017 NY Slip Op 06235 (App. Div. 1st Dept. Aug. 22, 2017), the court modified a lower court’s Order (issued by Judge Shlomo Hagler) dismissing plaintiff’s causes of action for gender discrimination in violation of the New York State and New York City Human Rights Laws, to deny defendant’s motion as to those…
Read More Court Reinstates “Too Cute” Gender Discrimination Claims Under NYS and NYC Human Rights LawsIn Schultz v. Congregation Shearith Israel of the City of New York et al, 2017 WL 3427130 (2d Cir. Aug. 10, 2017), the court addressed the following issue: whether a cause of action under Title VII can be based on notice to an employee of a termination of employment effective in approximately three weeks, that…
Read More 2d Circuit Holds That Title VII Claim May Be Based on Subsequently-Revoked Notice of Termination