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In McNeill v. Raymour & Flanigan Furniture, No. 15-1473, 2016 WL 7048712 (N.D.N.Y. Dec. 5, 2016), the court granted the defendant’s motion to compel arbitration of plaintiff’s claims of employment discrimination (race discrimination and retaliation) under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This decision illustrates the uphill – albeit not insurmountable –…

Read More Arbitration of Employment Discrimination Claim Compelled; Court Rejects Employee’s Claim That He Never Signed Arbitration Agreement
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In McFadden v. Cty. of Monroe, No. 14-2167, 2016 WL 7107468 (2d Cir. Dec. 6, 2016) (Summary Order), the court affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s race discrimination and retaliation claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1981 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Municipal Liability As to municipal liability, the court explained that…

Read More Court Discusses Municipal, Individual, and “Cat’s Paw” Liability in Race Discrimination Case
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In a recent Brooklyn federal lawsuit, captioned Fischer v. WW Bakers LLC (EDNY 16-5103), plaintiff (a baker) asserts, inter alia, that defendant violated New York’s general whistleblower law, NY Labor Law 740, after he advised his employer about bug-infested flour. That statute, inter alia, provides: An employer shall not take any retaliatory personnel action against…

Read More Baker Asserts Whistleblower Claim Arising From Termination Following Complaint of Bug-Infested Flour
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In Serin v. Soulcycle Holdings, LLC, 2016 NY Slip Op 08179 (App. Div. 1st Dept. Dec. 6, 2016), the Appellate Division unanimously reversed a lower court’s order granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment. The court held: Although defendant made a prima facie showing that the spin cycle on which plaintiff was injured was not defective and…

Read More Spin Cycle Personal Injury Case Continues; Claim Not Barred By Release
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In Casseus v. N.Y. Coll. of Health Professions, 15-cv-1914, 2016 WL 7029157 (E.D.N.Y. Nov. 10, 2016), report and recommendation adopted, 2016 WL 7017364 (E.D.N.Y. Dec. 1, 2016), the court dismissed plaintiff’s employment discrimination claims. Among other things, it held that plaintiff failed to exhaust her administrative remedies with respect to her gender discrimination and hostile…

Read More Unasserted Gender Discrimination & Hostile Work Environment Claims Dismissed as Not Administratively Exhausted
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In Willis v. Cty. of Onondaga, No. 14-cv-1306, 2016 WL 7116126 (N.D.N.Y. Dec. 6, 2016), the court dismissed plaintiff’s sexual harassment, racial harassment, retaliation, and other claims asserted under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Here I’ll discuss the court’s evaluation of plaintiff’s Title VII sexual harassment claim. Plaintiff, an African-American heterosexual…

Read More Court Dismisses Sheriff’s Sexual Harassment and Other Claims; Court Assumed Conduct Was “Because of Sex” and Sufficiently “Severe” and “Pervasive” But Was Not Imputable to Defendant
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In Martinez v. N.Y. City Transit Auth., No. 15-3159-CV(L), 2016 WL 7036823 (2d Cir. Dec. 2, 2016) (Summary Order), the Second Circuit affirmed in part and reversed in part a district court’s summary judgment dismissal of plaintiff’s age discrimination claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). This decision is instructive on the quantity/quality…

Read More 2d Circuit Overturns Summary Judgment as to One Transit Authority Employee’s Age Discrimination Case; “Retire” Comment Was Not a “Stray Remark”
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In 2015 I wrote a blog post about a Southern District of New York decision and order in a case captioned Varughese v. Mount Sinai Med. Ctr., No. 12-cv-8812 CM JCF, 2015 WL 1499618 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 27, 2015), which granted defendants’ motion for summary judgment and dismissed with prejudice all of plaintiff Dr. Leena Varughese’s claims…

Read More Bullying, Censorship, and Baseless Lawsuit Threats: Dr. Leena Varughese
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In Dollinger v. N.Y. State Ins. Fund, No. 314CV908MADDEP, 2016 WL 6833993 (N.D.N.Y. Nov. 18, 2016), the court dismissed plaintiff’s disability discrimination, hostile work environment, and retaliation claims. Plaintiff alleged, inter alia, “that he has been subjected to such treatment because he is ‘regarded as belonging to a group associated with high risk for HIV/AIDS;…

Read More Disability Discrimination Lawsuit Dismissed on the Pleadings; “Gay Terrorist” Email Among Allegations Failing to Meet “Plausibility” Pleading Standard
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In Sciddurlo v. Financial Indus. Regulatory Auth., 2016 NY Slip Op 08061 (App. Div. 2nd Dept. Nov. 30, 2016), the court reversed the lower court’s dismissal of plaintiff’s age discrimination claims asserted under the New York State and New York City Human Rights Laws. Specifically, it held that the New York whistleblower statute’s waiver provision, New York…

Read More Age Discrimination Claims Not Barred By the New York Whistleblower Law’s Waiver Provision
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