Many employees think that “whistleblowing” in the workplace is widely protected. However, New York’s primary whistleblower statute, Labor Law 740, is very narrow and only protects a very specific set of whistleblowing activities. Although the requirements to prove such claims at trial have not changed nor has scope of the protections changed, New York’s highest…
Continue reading ›This week, New York City implemented legislation to provide the same workplace protections to unpaid interns which paid employees have enjoyed for years. Last year, a federal judge ruled that the New York City Human Rights Law, which prohibits discrimination in the workplace, covers only employees. He reasoned that unpaid interns were not employees so…
Continue reading ›Last week, a New York Appellate Court in Manhattan upheld a judgment in an employment discrimination case awarding the plaintiff $1.2 million in punitive damages and $400,000 in compensatory damages, for a total award of $1.6 million. The plaintiff sued her former employer for violations of the New York City Human Rights Law, including for…
Continue reading ›Multiple news agencies are reporting about an astonishing story from Rome, New York. According to a New York State Attorney General Press Release, the Betsy Ross Nursing and Rehabilitation Center discriminated against African-American employees by barring them from working in a particular unit of the nursing home. Incredibly, the home posted a sign in the…
Continue reading ›CNN is reporting about a case in Florida which again reminds us of the dangers of Facebook. According to CNN, the head of a Florida school sued the school for age discrimination. The case settled, but almost immediately, the plaintiff’s daughter posted about the settlement on Facebook: “Mama and Papa Snay won the case against…
Continue reading ›More evidence of the dangers of employees using social media surfaced last week. In Duke v. Hamil, a Federal Court in Georgia sent a strong message to employees – beware of what you post on Facebook. Rex Duke, Deputy Chief of Police of the Clayton State Police Department, had more than 30 years of experience…
Continue reading ›Ever wonder how a lawsuit works? Think you’re being discriminated against at work and don’t know what to do? Visit the News and Resources section of our website for important information. Check back frequently for updates.
Continue reading ›After a jury trial spanning nearly two weeks, Matt Weinick won his client’s First Amendment political retaliation claim. Taking less than two hours to deliberate, the jury quickly returned a verdict for his client, including awarding $150,000 in emotional damages. The judge will decide how much to award in back pay and front pay, but…
Continue reading ›Civil rights lawyers Peter J. Famighetti and Matthew Weinick have opened their new law firm Famighetti & Weinick, PLLC in Melville, New York. Learn More…
Continue reading ›We are proud to announce the opening of our law firm Famighetti & Weinick, PLLC. Famighetti & Weinick, PLLC is a civil rights and employment law firm. Based in Melville, New York, the firm provides legal services in the five boroughs of New York City, and the surrounding metropolitan area, including Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, and…
Continue reading ›
