Faragher/Ellerth Defense

by

A recent decision, Kennedy v. Federal Express Corp, 13-cv-1540, 2016 WL 5415774 (N.D.N.Y. Sept. 28, 2016), a sexual harassment case, illustrates that proving the existence of a hostile work environment is alone insufficient to prevail. In this case, defendant conceded for purposes of its summary judgment motion that the alleged conduct of plaintiff’s supervisor created…

Read More FedEx Not Liable For Hostile Work Environment Sexual Harassment; Faragher/Ellerth Defense Cited and Applied
Share This:
by

In Green v. Rochdale Village Social Services, Inc., No. 15 CIV. 5824 (BMC), 2016 WL 4148322 (E.D.N.Y. Aug. 4, 2016), the court granted in part and denied in part defendants’ motion for summary judgment. Plaintiff – a van driver employed by a senior center – asserted that she was subjected to sexual harassment by a…

Read More Hostile Work Environment Claim Proceeds Based on Sexual Conduct by Non-Employee Senior Citizen Client
Share This:
by

In Belton v. Lal Chicken, Inc., 2016 NY Slip Op 03115, 2016 WL 1629367 (N.Y. App. Div. 1st Dept. Apr. 26, 2016), the Appellate Division, First Department upheld a jury verdict of $320,000 for plaintiff on her sexual harassment (hostile work environment) claim under the New York City Human Rights Law. From the decision: Plaintiff…

Read More Court Upholds Sexual Harassment (Hostile Work Environment) Jury Verdict for Plaintiff, Citing Rejection of Unwanted Advances and Lack of “Meaningful” Anti-Discrimination Policy
Share This:
by

The Southern District of New York’s recent decision in Robinson v. Vineyard Vines, LLC, No. 15CIV4972VBJCM, 2016 WL 845283 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 4, 2016) provides an example of how the work product doctrine operates in the context of an employment discrimination/sexual harassment case. In this case, plaintiff alleged that another employee “repeatedly sexually harassed her and…

Read More Investigative Documents in Sexual Harassment Case Were Protected as Work Product
Share This:
by

In Rubin v. Abbott Labs., No. 13 CIV. 8667 CM, 2015 WL 5679644 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 23, 2015), the court granted defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s hostile work environment claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the New York State Human Rights Law, but denied it as to her…

Read More Complaining of Harassment Only to Harasser Provides Employer With Defense to Harassment Claim Under NY State Discrimination Law
Share This:
by

In Szwalla v. Time Warner Cable, LLC, No. 3:13-CV-713 MAD/DEP, 2015 WL 5708538 (N.D.N.Y. Sept. 29, 2015), the court explained and applied the so-called “Faragher-Ellerth” affirmative defense to a hostile work environment claim. In this case, plaintiff (an account executive for the Time Warner defendants) alleged that defendants engaged in sexual harassment, subjected her to a…

Read More Court Applies “Faragher-Ellerth” Defense to Dismiss Plaintiff’s Sexual Harassment/Hostile Work Environment Title VII Claim
Share This:
by

In Daniel v. AutoZone, Inc. (NDNY May 6, 2015), the Northern District of New York denied defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s race-based hostile work environment claims against the individual defendants under 42 USC 1981 and the New York State Human Rights Law. Here is the applicable law: [A]n individual defendant may be liable under section 1981.…

Read More Hostile Work Environment Claims Under 42 USC 1981 and State Human Rights Law Continue
Share This:
by

In Donohue v. Finkelstein Memorial Library, the Southern District of New York recently denied defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiffs’ sexual harassment (hostile work environment) claims. Generally, a plaintiff asserting a hostile work environment claim must establish two things: first, conduct rising to a sufficient level that constitutes a “hostile” or “abusive” working environment, and second,…

Read More SDNY Applies “Alter Ego/Proxy” Theory in Denying Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment in Sexual Harassment/Hostile Work Environment Case
Share This:
by

Seems like a straightforward question, right?  It’s the boss, the head honcho, the big cheese, the person who tells you what to do and (in some cases) is the subject of social media ranting.  However, the question is not so clear under federal anti-discrimination law, as illustrated by a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.…

Read More Who Is A “Supervisor”?
Share This: