In Motta v. Glob. Contract Servs. Inc., No. 15 CV 8555 (LGS), 2016 WL 2642229 (S.D.N.Y. May 4, 2016), the court dismissed plaintiff’s retaliation and discriminatory pay claims as insufficiently pled. While the court held that the complaint was deficient, its decision is nevertheless instructive as to what must be alleged in order to survive a…
Read More SDNY Explains Discriminatory Pay, Retaliation Pleading DeficienciesIn Alvarado v. Jeffrey, Inc., No. 14 CIV. 500 (NRB), 2016 WL 922216 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 4, 2016), the court dismissed claims by plaintiff – a gay Hispanic man and salesman at high-end fashion store Just Jeffrey – for race and sexual orientation discrimination, retaliation, and constructive discharge. In dismissing plaintiff’s hostile work environment claims, Judge…
Read More SDNY Dismisses Race & Sexual Orientation Discrimination, Hostile Work Environment, Retaliation, and Constructive Discharge Claims Against Just Jeffrey and NordstromIn Vangas v. Montefiore Med. Ctr., No. 15-1514-CV, 2016 WL 2909354 (2d Cir. May 19, 2016), the Second Circuit ruled for defendant on plaintiff’s claims that she was subjected to disability discrimination under the NYS and NYC Human Rights Laws, and that her COBRA notice was defective. In sum, plaintiff alleged that the defendant terminated…
Read More 2nd Circuit Considers NYSHRL Reasonable Accomodation Disability Discrimination; NYCHRL Applicability; COBRA Notice RequirementsIn Bell v. McRoberts Protective Agency, No. 15-CV-0963 (JPO), 2016 WL 1688786 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 25, 2016), the court held that plaintiff failed to sufficiently allege race/gender discrimination, retaliation, and hostile work environment claims. The court’s explanation of why the plaintiff’s claims were insufficiently pled is instructive as to what courts look for when evaluating these…
Read More Race/Sex Discrimination, Hostile Work Environment and Retaliation Claims Insufficiently AllegedIn Capek v. BNY Mellon, N.A., No. 15-cv-4155, 2016 WL 2993211 (S.D.N.Y. May 23, 2016) the court denied defendant’s motion to dismiss plaintiff’s race and religious discrimination claims. Plaintiff alleged in her federal court complaint, e.g., that “[i]n the mistaken belief that [she] is Jewish, she was required by her managers to cultivate clients in…
Read More Work Assignments Based on Perceived Jewish Faith Supports Race/Religious Discrimination Claims, Court HoldsIn Garcia v. Yonkers Bd. of Educ., No. 15 CIV. 0767 (NSR), 2016 WL 3064116 (S.D.N.Y. May 27, 2016), the court granted in part and denied in part defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiff’s sexual harassment and retaliation claims. In this case, plaintiff (a high school mathematics teacher) alleged in her federal court complaint that she…
Read More Math Teacher’s Retaliation Claim, Arising From Sexual Harassment Complaint, Survives DismissalIn Menghini v. Neurological Surgery, P.C., No. CV 15-3534, 2016 WL 3034482 (E.D.N.Y. May 24, 2016), the court denied defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiff’s sexual harassment and whistelblower claims, as well as defendants’ motion to strike “redundant, immaterial, impertinent and scandalous” material from plaintiff’s complaint. The facts, briefly and as summarized by the court (here’s plaintiff’s…
Read More Plaintiff States Hostile Work Environment Claim Based on Allegations of “Sexually Charged” CommentsIn Goodwine v. City of New York, No. 15-CV-2868 (JMF), 2016 WL 3017398 (S.D.N.Y. May 23, 2016), the court denied defendants’ FRCP 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss plaintiff’s retaliation and gender/race disparate treatment claims. Plaintiff, an African American woman employed by the NYC Dept. of Information & Telecommunications, sufficiently alleged retaliation by alleging that (1) she…
Read More Plaintiff Sufficiently Alleges Retaliation and Gender/Race Discrimination (But Not Hostile Work Environment)A recent decision, Kelly v. Times/Review Newspapers Corp., 14-cv-2995, 2016 WL 2901744 (E.D.N.Y. May 18, 2016), illustrates how courts are applying the newly-amended Federal Rules of Civil Procedure in employment cases. In this employment discrimination case, plaintiff “seeks compensatory damages, alleging that he suffered actual anguish, embarrassment, suffering, and humiliation as result of his wrongful involuntary termination…
Read More Court Applies Amended Discovery Rule to Discovery Demands Seeking Information Relating to Claimed Emotional Distress in Age Discrimination CaseIn Love v. Premier Util. Servs., LLC, No. 15-cv-5698, 2016 WL 2853532, at (E.D.N.Y. May 13, 2016), the court denied defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiff’s claims of race discrimination (wrongful termination) and racially hostile work environment claims. Race Discrimination As to plaintiff’s race discrimination claim, Eastern District Judge Spatt ruled: [T]he complaint in this case clearly…
Read More Allegations Including “N” Word Use and Racist Confederate Flag-Flying Supervisor Sufficient to Plausibly Allege Race Discrimination and Hostile Work Environment Claims