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In Rao v. Rodriguez, No. 14-cv-1936, 2017 WL 1214437 (E.D.N.Y. Mar. 31, 2017), the court denied defendants’ motions for summary judgment on plaintiff’s age discrimination claims – including under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and its “heightened burden of but-for causation.” Plaintiff alleged, among other things, that the defendant-hospital’s CEO said to plaintiff “You’re…

Read More Age Discrimination Claims Survive Summary Judgment; Age-Related Comments Were Not “Stray Remarks”
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In Rao v. Rodriguez, No. 14-cv-1936, 2017 WL 1214437 (E.D.N.Y. Mar. 31, 2017), the court denied defendants’ motion for summary judgment on the race, national origin, and age discrimination[1]In this post I’ll discuss the court’s evaluation of plaintiff’s race/national origin discrimination claims. allegations asserted by plaintiff (a brown-skinned man of Indian national origin who held…

Read More Race/National Origin Discrimination Claims Survive Summary Judgment Against Wyckoff Heights Medical Center et al
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In Daphnis v. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 2017 WL 1021510 (N.Y.Sup.), 2017 N.Y. Slip Op. 30484(U) (Trial Order) (NY Sup. Ct. NY Cty. 153511/14 March 16, 2017), the court granted defendant’s summary judgment and dismissed plaintiff’s complaint alleging (e.g.) discrimination, hostile work environment, retaliation, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The court summarized plaintiff’s allegations…

Read More Anti-Caucasian/Greek Discrimination & Hostile Work Environment Claims Dismissed
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In Capobianco v. Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. LLC, No. 14 CIV. 6112 (NSR), 2017 WL 1157173 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 24, 2017), a personal injury slip-and-fall action, the court denied defendant’s motion for summary judgment. In sum, plaintiff testified that upon entering the “bottle room” of defendant’s supermarket (i.e., the area where customers tend to their recycling…

Read More Supermarket Slip/Fall Personal Injury Claim Survives Summary Judgment
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On April 18, 2017, the Second Circuit heard oral argument in the case of Daniel v. T&M Protection Resources LLC (Case No. 15-560). At issue is whether a single, offensive comment (here, the n-word) is sufficient to overcome summary judgment on plaintiff’s hostile work environment claim. The EEOC argued (as Amicus Curiae in support of pro…

Read More 2d Circuit Hears Oral Argument as to Whether the Single Use of the “N-Word” by a Supervisor is Sufficient to Overcome Summary Judgment on Plaintiff’s Hostile Work Environment Claim
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In Garvey v. Childtime Learning Ctr., No. 5:16-CV-1073, 2017 WL 1378179 (N.D.N.Y. Apr. 13, 2017), the Judge McAvoy adopted Magistrate Judge Baxter’s Report and Recommendation that plaintiff’s discrimination claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – based on the failure to hire him due to his perceived sexual orientation – be…

Read More Court Dismisses Gay Plaintiff’s Title VII Discrimination Complaint; Gender Stereotyping Claim Not Plausibly Alleged
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In McLane Co. v. E.E.O.C., No. 15-1248, 2017 WL 1199454 (U.S. Apr. 3, 2017), as revised (Apr. 3, 2017), the U.S. Supreme Court held that a district court’s decision to enforce or quash an EEOC subpoena should be reviewed for abuse of discretion, and not (as the Ninth Circuit held) de novo. The facts of the…

Read More SCOTUS Clarifies Standard For District Court Evaluation of EEOC Subpoenas in Employment Discrimination Cases
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In Matter of NYS Div. of Human Rights v. SUV Prod., Inc., 2017 NY Slip Op 02910 (NY App. Div. 1st Dept. April 13, 2017), the court unanimously confirmed the findings of the New York State Division of Human Rights’ (DHR) December 19, 2008 Order concluding that respondent subjected complainants to discrimination and a hostile work environment based…

Read More Court Upholds NYSDHR Finding of National Origin Discrimination & Hostile Work Environment and Resulting Damages
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In Richard v. N.Y. City Dep’t of Educ., No. 16-CV-957 (MKB), 2017 WL 1232498 (E.D.N.Y. Mar. 31, 2017), the court held that plaintiff sufficiently alleged retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and therefore denied defendant’s motion to dismiss that claim under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6).[1]The court granted defendant’s…

Read More Retaliation Claim Survives Dismissal; Letter Placing Plaintiff on Probation was an “Adverse Employment Action”
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In Sawh v. Bally Contracting Corp., No. 16789/10, 2017 WL 902330 (N.Y. App. Div. 2d Dept. Mar. 8, 2017), the court granted plaintiff’s motion under CPLR 4404(a) to set aside a $100,000 jury verdict on the issue of damages for past pain and suffering, which in the court’s view were too low. From the Decision…

Read More $100k Award for Child’s Ankle Fracture Deviated Materially From Reasonable Compensation; New Trial Ordered Unless Defendant Agrees to Pay $300k
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