42 USC § 1981

In Maines et al v. Last Chance Funding, Inc. d/b/a The LCF Group et al, 2018 WL 4558408 (E.D.N.Y. Sept. 25, 2018), the court clarified the standard for imposing liability on individual defendants under the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL), N.Y. Executive Law § 290 et seq. The statute, explained the court, provides for…

Read More Court Explains Standard for Individual Liability for a Hostile Work Environment Under the New York State Human Rights Law
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In Berrie v. Board of Education of Port Chester-Rye Union Free School District, 2018 WL 4462587 (2d Cir. Sept. 18, 2018) (Summary Order), the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s race discrimination/hostile work environment claims. This case illustrates how courts apply the “severe or pervasive” standard when evaluating hostile work environment claims. Here, unfortunately,…

Read More Hostile Work Environment Claims Dismissed; Eleven Incidents Over Five Years Insufficient
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In Calise v. New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, 17-cv-791, 2018 WL 4350247 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 12, 2018), plaintiff, a white woman, asserted claims of race discrimination – based on alleged mistreatment by her boss, who is black – under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 1981, 42 U.S.C.…

Read More Title VII Race Discrimination Claim Survives Against NYS Dept. of Motor Vehicles
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In Johnson v. Schmid et al, 17-3196 (2d Cir. Sept. 7, 2018) (Summary Order), an employment (race) discrimination case asserted under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Second Circuit affirmed the district court’s award of summary judgment to defendants. Plaintiff, a black social worker trainee, proffered three grounds for why his…

Read More Title VII Race Discrimination Dismissal Affirmed; Comparators Were Not “Similarly Situated;” Racial Slur Introduced Too Late
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In McLeod v. General Vision Services, Inc. et al, 13-cv-6824, 2018 WL 3745662 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 6, 2018), the court, inter alia, granted defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s race discrimination claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 42 USC 1981, but denied it with respect to plaintiff’s race discrimination claim…

Read More Race Discrimination (Termination) Claim Survives Under City, But Not Federal, Law
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In McLeod v. General Vision Services, Inc. et al, 13-cv-6824, 2018 WL 3745662 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 6, 2018), the court, inter alia, denied defendants’ motion on plaintiff’s race- and age-based hostile work environment claims. The court noted – in the portion of the decision where it assessed plaintiff’s race discrimination claims[1]The court dismissed plaintiff’s race discrimination claims…

Read More Hostile Work Environment Claim Survives Summary Judgment; Evidence Included Racial Epithets
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In Rosas v. Balter Sales Co., Inc. et al, 12-CV-6557, 2018 WL 3199253 (S.D.N.Y. June 29, 2018), the court, inter alia, upheld a jury verdict – i.e., denied defendants’ motion for judgment as a matter of law under Fed. R. Civ. P. 50 – in plaintiff’s favor on his race discrimination (termination) claim.[1]It also denied defendants’…

Read More Race Discrimination Jury Verdict for Plaintiff Upheld
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A recent decision, Jackson v. Time Warner Cable Administration LLC, 2018 WL 2371024 (S.D.N.Y. 16-cv-8639 May 18, 2018), illustrates that the proper focus in an employment discrimination case is not whether an employer’s non-discriminatory explanation for the allegedly wrongful action is reliable or true, but rather what motivated the employer. In this case, defendant terminated…

Read More Employment Discrimination Case Against Time Warner Dismissed; Racial Motive Not Shown
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In Duplan v. City of New York, 2018 WL 1996613 (2d Cir. April 30, 2018), the U.S. Court of Appeals held, inter alia, that plaintiff – a gay black Haitian man – sufficiently alleged retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The court initially held that plaintiff, a New York City…

Read More Title VII Retaliation Claim Survives Dismissal [Duplan v. City of New York]
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