Employment Discrimination

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In Moraetis v. Robert S. Evans et al (NY Sup. Ct. NY Cty. Index 152829/2015) (J. Bannon), a gender discrimination/hostile work environment case, the court declined (under CPLR 5519(c)) to stay the matter pending appeal of an earlier decision denying defendant’s motion to dismiss. Procedurally, the court noted that “[w]here, as here, there is no…

Read More Court Denies Stay Pending Appeal in Gender-Based Hostile Work Environment Case
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One employer action that may, under certain circumstances, give rise to an employment discrimination claim is the implementation of a so-called “English only” policy. It has been reported, for example, that one North Carolina employer has implemented such a policy. The EEOC takes the position that English-only rules “violate the law unless the employer can show…

Read More English-Only Policies and the Anti-Discrimination Laws
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In Demir v. Sandoz Inc. and Fougera Pharmaceuticals (NY Sup. Ct. NY Cty., Index 150954/2015, Feb. 17, 2017), the court held that plaintiff – a Muslim woman of Turkish national origin – sufficiently alleged causes of action for discrimination and hostile work environment (based on her gender, national origin, and religion) under the New York State…

Read More Muslim/Turkish Woman Sufficiently Alleges Gender, National Origin, and Religious Discrimination Against Sandoz
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The Southern District of New York’s recent decision in McCray v. Project Renewal, Inc., 15-cv-8494, 2017 WL 715010 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 22, 2017) (Judge Caproni) serves as another reminder of the procedural hurdles that must be overcome in order to assert an employment discrimination claim in federal court. Plaintiff, proceeding pro se, sued his former employer, Defendant Project Renewal,…

Read More Court Dismisses ADA Disability Discrimination Claim as Unexhausted, Title VII Race Discrimination Claim as Insufficiently Pled
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In Calvo v. Aristizabal (NY Sup Ct. NY Cty. Index 156048/16 Jan. 20, 2017) (J. Mendez), the court granted defendant’s motion pursuant to CPLR 3211(a)(1) and (7), CPLR 7503, and 9 U.S.C. 3, 4 (a/k/a the Federal Arbitration Act) to dismiss plaintiff’s sexual harassment complaint and to compel arbitration. Plaintiff, an account manager at NBC…

Read More Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Dismissed Pursuant to NBC Universal’s Mediation/Arbitration Program
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It is an unfortunate reality that many employment discrimination cases are dismissed. These cases are often difficult to prove, and success requires navigating a path riddled with hurdles, ranging from statutes of limitation, to proper pleading, to dismissal on summary judgment following the completion of discovery. A recent example is Edwards v. N.Y. State Office of…

Read More Court Dismisses Born Again Christian’s Employment Discrimination, Hostile Work Environment, and Retaliation Claims
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In Lorber v. Jacob Lew, No. 15-cv-9995, 2017 WL 633446 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 15, 2017) (J. Kimba M. Wood), the court dismissed (for failure to state a claim under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6)) plaintiff’s gender-based hostile work environment claim, but stayed its decision on defendant’s motion to dismiss plaintiff’s Title VII sexual orientation discrimination claim (which…

Read More SDNY Dismisses Sex-Based Hostile Work Environment Claim; Stays Ruling on Title VII Sexual Orientation Discrimination (Stereotyping) Claim Pending Second Circuit Rulings
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In Arifi v. Cent. Moving & Storage Co., No. 159334/12, 2017 WL 628321 (N.Y. App. Div. 1st Dept. Feb. 16, 2017), the court affirmed the lower court’s order granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s age discrimination claims. From the decision: In moving for summary judgment dismissing plaintiff’s claims for age-based employment discrimination under…

Read More Age Discrimination Claims Properly Dismissed; Suspicion of Theft Was a Legitimate, Nondiscriminatory, Non-Pretextual Reason for Termination
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Happy Valentine’s Day! While this holiday of (ahem) love may bring back fond memories of grade-school card and candy swapping, it’s important to remember that bringing romance into the workplace – even (or maybe especially) on Valentine’s Day – presents risks, most notably of a sexual harassment/hostile work environment lawsuit. Consider, for example, the case of Pugni…

Read More Valentine’s Day and the Workplace
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In In the Matter of Shannon Scheuneman v. NYS Div. of Human Rights and Town of Tonawanda, No. TP 16-00820, 2017 WL 539266 (N.Y. App. Div. 4th Dept. Feb. 10, 2017), the Appellate Division unanimously confirmed, under N.Y. Executive Law § 298, a determination by the New York State Division of Human Rights that the…

Read More Allegation of “Anti-Female Bias” Insufficient to Overturn State Division of Human Rights Dismissal of Gender Discrimination Claim
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