Employment Discrimination

In Mayo-Coleman v. American Sugars Holding, Inc., 14-cv-0079, 2017 WL 4157379 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 18, 2017) (J. Crotty), the Southern District of New York (partially) adopted a Magistrate Judge’s Report & Recommendation to deny defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s hostile work environment/sexual harassment claim. The court summarized the law: Proof of a hostile work…

Read More Hostile Work Environment/Sexual Harassment Claim Survives Summary Judgment
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In Sefovic v. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 2017 WL 3668845 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 23, 2017), the court granted defendants’ motion for summary judgment and dismissed plaintiff’s claims under, inter alia, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In sum, defendant terminated plaintiff after he failed to return to work following medical leave. Specifically: “The undisputed facts establish…

Read More Disability Discrimination Claims Dismissed, in Light of Plaintiff’s Inability to Work
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In 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 Dismiss
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In Duarte v. St. Barnabas Hospital, 2017 WL 4082307, at *17 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 13, 2017), the court held that material issues of fact precluded summary judgment for defendant on plaintiff’s disability and national origin-based hostile work environment claim. As to plaintiff’s hearing condition, the court noted: Here, Plaintiff has offered evidence that – during weekly…

Read More Accent- and Disability-Based Hostile Work Environment Claim Survives Summary Judgment
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In 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 Enough
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In 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 Employees
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In 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 Complaint
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In Mehulic v. New York Downtown Hosp., 2017 NY Slip Op 06416 (App. Div. 1st Dept. Sept. 12, 2017), the court reversed the trial court’s Order granting defendant summary judgment on plaintiff’s retaliation claim under Labor Law § 741 on the ground of collateral estoppel. From the decision: However, the motion court erred in finding that plaintiff’s…

Read More Whistleblower (NY Labor Law § 741) Retaliation Claim Survives Summary Judgment; OPMC Rulings Did Not Operate as Collateral Estoppel
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In Percy v. The State of New York (Hudson Valley DDSO), Local 412 of the CSEA, Inc., Local 1000, AFSCME AFL-CIO, Basil Townsend, 264 F.Supp.3d 574, 585 (S.D.N.Y. 2017), the court explained: Courts are split on the question of whether rejecting unwanted sexual advances constitutes protected activity. See Little, 210 F. Supp. 2d at 385-86…

Read More Rejecting a Supervisor’s Sexual Advances is “Protected Activity” For Purposes of a Retaliation Claim, Court Holds
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In Carrington v. Mota & City of New York, 2017 WL 3835883 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 31, 2017),[1]I wrote about the court’s evaluation of plaintiff’s “disparate treatment” race discrimination claim here. the court recommended the dismissal of plaintiff’s hostile work environment claim. From the decision: Carrington’s factual allegations do not create a plausible inference that she has…

Read More Hostile Work Environment Claim Dismissed; “Nasty Tone” Was Not “Severe”, and Alleged Hostility Was Disconnected From Employee’s Race
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