Thread regarding TIAA (TIAA-CREF) layoffs

TIAA/Nuveen has to defend itself against Federal/State Disability Claims due to COVID 19 vaccine mandate

https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/new-york/nysdce/1:2024cv09991/634205/30/

"Around this time, at a meeting in November 2021 at which Plaintiff was not present, Defendants’ head of marketing remarked as to employees not vaccinated against COVID-19: “Don’t get it. Be a stupid fu--ing id--t. Go ahead and die.”


by
| 2452 views | | 15 replies (last January 23) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+1kedr6b49

15 replies (most recent on top)

So glad TIAA is suffering through these lawsuits. foolish policy “trust the science”!

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @2e1+1kedr6b49

@hg they will settle this one, have her sign a NDA & Non Disparagement agreement, offer her up to TIAA's insurance limit amounts and then another chapter in TIAA's recent past will be behind us. Now we can focus back on the Accenture debackle, The Frisco Fiasco, and T's $18M salary. All for the Greater Good.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @k0+1kedr6b49

Thank you for posting the decision. The headline missed this part-

Because Plaintiff fails to “set forth any factual circumstances from which a disability- based motivation for [her termination] might be inferred,” her “adverse employment action” claims of disability discrimination under the ADA and NYSHRL are dismissed for failure to state a claim.

So TIAA got most of the complaint tossed. The rest is just lawyer stuff about whether they looked at her request properly, which still has to go to trial.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @hg+1kedr6b49

@cv i'm hearing settlment between $250k-$500K.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @ep+1kedr6b49

@ea they were looking for a pretext to fire her because she was a low performing employee and the vaccine was just the pretext. I'm sure the manager that said those alleged words to her was placed on a PIP and probably managed out or will be managed out once this case settles for $250K.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @en+1kedr6b49

@a6 the new onset auto immune diseases appeared in about 1.5% of people who had COVID and got the vaccine. So, a low amount. In this individuals case, she already has many of these disorders. Getting the vaccine has proven to be more effective than not and the benefits out weigh the risks by a wide margin. So, Fauci was right. Better Fauci than Trump when Trump was in the Press Room in front of debra Birk and reporters and he told everyone to drink bleach to cleanse the system and some clowns actually did drink bleach and got all fu-ck-ed up

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @em+1kedr6b49

@d9 the difference between this case and others is the plaintiff had legitimate reasons not to get the vaccine (autoimmune disorder) with medical analysis and doctor’s opinion and TIAA basically said “fu-k off, you’re fired”.

This is just one instance of many lawsuits where TIAA trying to bully, from what I know. Don’t think it’ll be a slam dunk.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @ea+1kedr6b49

While I am Pro Vaccine (for most things), TIAA and all other companies forcing the Covid vaccine requirement for FTEs (not contractors) was stupid and pointless. I wore a mask every day in the office from early 2022 on and never once got Covid, well until April 2025. I feel like big Pharma enticed companies to force associates to get the vaccine.

I mean for what it's worth 90% of us could have remained remote and not needed a vaccine. That or associates could have signed a waiver to take a Covid test each day before going into the office instead of simply "trusting" us to taking once once a week.

But in reality no one needs to be in an office in this day and age. At worst, 90% of us can still be remote and more productive than in the office.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @e9+1kedr6b49

Many companies did the same, It wouldn't surprise me if this will be an easy win for TIAA.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @d9+1kedr6b49

@OP It will be interesting to find out whether TIAA settles or goes to trial.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @cv+1kedr6b49

@ac putting the comments in writing memorializes it and has a longer-lasting impact.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @bw+1kedr6b49

@a7 so easy for @a6 to be a keyboard badass. Doubtful they’d be that ignorant in person and say something similar to their face.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @ac+1kedr6b49

@a6 what a disgusting take.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @a7+1kedr6b49

Why wasn't she out on Long Term Disability to begin with dating back to 2010 ? Besides, the COVID vaccine had no impact on autoimmune conditions. This has been been debunked. It would have helped if she got the vaccine.

She probably wasn't productive in the job anyway.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @a6+1kedr6b49

ett v. TIAA Insurance Company et al Doc. 30
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
DANIELLE COCHRAN CARNETT,
Plaintiff,

  • v-
    24-CV-9991 (JPO)
    OPINION AND ORDER
    TIAA INSURANCE COMPANY and
    NUVEEN, LLC,
    Defendants.
    J. PAUL OETKEN, District Judge:
    In September 2022, Plaintiff Danielle Cochran Carnett was terminated by her employers,
    Defendants TIAA Insurance Company and Nuveen, LLC, for failure to receive two COVID-19
    vaccinations. In response, Plaintiff sued Defendants for disability discrimination under the
    Americans with Disabilities Act (the “ADA”), New York State Human Rights Law
    (“NYSHRL”), and New York City Human Rights Law (“NYCHRL”).
    Now before the Court is Defendants’ motion to dismiss Plaintiff’s First Amended
    Complaint (the “Amended Complaint”). (ECF No. 16.) For the reasons that follow, the Court
    grants in part and denies in part Defendants’ motion.
    I. Background
    The following facts are taken from Plaintiff’s Amended Complaint, as well as documents
    cited or relied upon for the facts pleaded therein,0F
    1 and are presumed true for the purposes of this
    motion. See Fink v. Time Warner Cable, 714 F.3d 739, 740-41 (2d Cir. 2013).
    1 To her response to Defendants’ motion to dismiss, Plaintiff appended her unredacted medical
    records, two accommodation requests, and a declaration alleging additional facts about her visits
    to NYC and comments made by Defendants. (ECF Nos. 19-20.) A court may consider
    statements and documents “incorporated in [the complaint] by reference” without converting a
    motion to dismiss into one for summary judgment. Chambers v. Time Warner, Inc., 282 F.3d
    147, 152 (2d Cir. 2002) (internal quotation marks omitted). “Even where a document is not
    1
    Dockets.Justia.com
    Danielle Cochran Carnett first began working for Defendants in 2000. (ECF No. 14
    (“Am. Compl.”) ¶ 12.) From 2001 until her termination in 2022, she was a remote employee.
    (Id. ¶ 18.) Plaintiff worked most of her hours from her home office in Greenwich, New York,
    but traveled to New York City for work purposes approximately once every six weeks, with
    additional visits as needed. (Id. ¶¶ 9, 13, 18.) Plaintiff claims that, despite her remote status, she
    was “designated by Defendants as part of [the New York City] office.” (Id. ¶ 13.)
    In 2010, Plaintiff was diagnosed with multiple chronic autoimmune conditions, including
    Raynaud’s Syndrome, early-stage Scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic medical
    complications from a B-19 infection. (Id. ¶ 20.) These conditions have restricted Plaintiff’s life
    activities, including by limiting her “use of her hands, walking, standing, and by [causing]
    generalized pain and discomfort in her joints.” (Id. ¶ 22.) In late 2021, in response to the
    COVID-19 pandemic, Defendants instituted a COVID-19 vaccination requirement for all
    employees, remote or otherwise, and announced that they would consider employees’ requests
    for medical exemptions. (Id. ¶ 24.) Plaintiff consulted with her doctor, Dr. Caroline Hartridge,
    who advised Plaintiff to refrain from receiving the COVID-19 vaccines because they could
    exacerbate her autoimmune conditions. (Id. ¶¶ 24-25.) Around this time, at a meeting in
    November 2021 at which Plaintiff was not present, Defendants’ head of marketing remarked as
    incorporated by reference, the court may nevertheless consider it where the complaint relies
    heavily upon its terms and effect, which renders the document integral to the complaint.” Id. at
    153 (quotation marks omitted). Because Plaintiff’s requests for accommodation were referenced
    in her Amended Complaint (see ECF No. 14 ¶¶ 29, 31) and are integral to determining whether
    she experienced discrimination on account of her disability, this Court considers them in
    evaluating Defendants’ motion to dismiss. But because “courts cannot consider new factual
    assertions in an affidavit submitted in opposition to a motion to dismiss,” Colliton v. Bunt, 709 F.
    App’x 82, 83 (2d Cir. 2018) (summary order), this Court declines to consider Plaintiff’s
    unredacted medical records or her appended declaration.
    2
    to employees not vaccinated against COVID-19: “Don’t get it. Be a stupid fu--ing id--t. Go
    ahead and die.” (Id. ¶ 38.)
    On January 24, 2022, Plaintiff applied for an exemption to the vaccination requirement as
    a reasonable accommodation of her disability and included a note from her physician listing her
    autoimmune conditions. (Id. ¶ 29.) Defendants denied the request without explanation. (Id.
    ¶ 30.) Plaintiff then submitted a second request for an exemption, which included another letter
    from Dr. Hartridge and redacted medical records. (Id. ¶ 31.) Based on a medical opinion from a
    third-party physician (id. ¶ 35), Defendants terminated Plaintiff in September 2022 for failure to
    receive two COVID-19 vaccinations (id. ¶ 19).
    II. Procedural History
    Plaintiff filed suit against Defendants on December 27, 2024, alleging discrimination
    under the ADA, NYCHRL, and NYSHRL. (ECF No. 1.) Defendants moved to dismiss
    Plaintiff’s original complaint on March 17, 2025. (ECF No. 7.) On March 30, 2025, Plaintiff
    submitted a letter indicating her intention to file an amended complaint in response to
    Defendants’ motion to dismiss (ECF No. 11), which she did on April 8, 2025 (Am. Compl.).
    Defendants filed a second motion to dismiss on April 21, 2025. (ECF No. 16.)
    III. Legal Standards
    A. 12(b)(1) Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Subject Matter Jurisdiction
    A court must dismiss a case for lack of subject matter jurisdiction under Federal Rule of
    Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) “when the district court lacks the statutory or constitutional power to
    adjudicate it.” Makarova v. United States, 201 F.3d 110, 113 (2d Cir. 2000). The party asserting
    subject matter jurisdiction bears the burden of establishing by a preponderance of the evidence
    that subject matter jurisdiction exists. Id.; see also Malik v. Meissner, 82 F.3d 560, 562 (2d Cir.
    1996). When evaluating a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(1), courts “accept as true all
    3
    material factual allegations in the complaint,” but “argumentative inferences favorable to the
    party asserting jurisdiction should not be drawn.” Atl. Mut. Ins. Co. v. Balfour Maclaine Int’l
    Ltd., 968 F.2d 196, 198 (2d Cir. 1992).
    B. 12(b)(6) Motion to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim
    “To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter,
    accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556
    U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007)). “A claim
    has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the
    reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Id. at 678.
    However, “[w]here a complaint pleads facts that are merely consistent with a defendant’s
    liability, it stops short of the line between possibility and plausibility of entitlement to relief.” Id.
    (quotation marks omitted). This standard “does not impose a probability requirement at the
    pleading stage; it simply calls for enough fact to raise a reasonable expectation that discovery
    will reveal evidence” to support a plaintiff’s claims. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556.
    “When there are well-pleaded factual allegations, a court should assume their veracity
    and then determine whether they plausibly give rise to an entitlement to relief.” DiFolco v.
    MSNBC Cable L.L.C., 622 F.3d 104, 111 (2d Cir. 2010) (quotation marks omitted). In
    conducting this analysis, courts “construe all reasonable inferences that can be drawn from the
    complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiff.” Arar v. Ashcroft, 585 F.3d 559, 567 (2d
    Cir. 2009).
    IV. Discussion
    A. Disability Discrimination under the NYCHRL
    The language of the NYCHRL makes clear “that its protections are afforded only to those
    who inhabit or are ‘persons in’ the City of New York.” Hoffman v. Parade Publications, 15
    4
    N.Y.3d 285, 289 (2010). “New York State courts lack subject matter jurisdiction over claims
    brought under the NYCHRL . . . by a non-resident plaintiff, when the alleged discriminatory
    conduct did not have an ‘impact’ on the plaintiff within New York City.” Kraiem v.
    JonesTrading Institutional Servs. LLC, 492 F. Supp. 3d 184, 195 (S.D.N.Y. 2020). Put
    differently, “[u]nder the NYCHRL the impact of the employment action must be felt by the
    plaintiff in NYC.” Vangas v. Montefiore Med. Ctr., 823 F.3d 174, 183 (2d Cir. 2016) (emphasis
    in original). By contrast, the NYCHRL does not cover nonresidents of New York City “who
    have, at most, tangential contacts with the city.” Hoffman, 15 N.Y.3d at 291. This rule also
    governs this Court’s exercise of subject matter jurisdiction. See Troeger v. JetBlue Airways
    Corp., No. 23-CV-10859, 2024 WL 5146185, at 7 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 17, 2024); Kraiem, 492 F.
    Supp. 3d at 199; see also Jackson v. NYS Dep’t of Labor, 709 F. Supp. 2d 218, 224 (S.D.N.Y.
    2010) (treating NYSHRL’s and NYCHRL’s election-of-remedies limitations as restricting a
    federal court’s subject matter jurisdiction); Williams v. City of New York, 916 F. Supp. 2d 517,
    520-21 (S.D.N.Y. 2013) (same).
    Plaintiff alleges that the impact of her termination was felt in New York City, and
    therefore is covered by the NYCHRL, because she (1) was designated by Defendants as part of
    the New York City office and (2) worked in the New York City office approximately once every
    six weeks, during which times she also stayed overnight in the city. (ECF No. 21 (“Opp.”) at 5,
    7-8.) Plaintiff also argues that she has alleged a sufficient connection to New York City because
    “key decisions about [Plaintiff’s] employment, including her termination,” as well as the
    November 2021 meeting in which the head of marketing made an unsavory comment about
    unvaccinated employees, occurred there. (Id. at 8.)
    5
    These allegations, however, are virtually indistinguishable from those deemed
    insufficient for NYCHRL coverage in Hoffman. There, the court held that the NYCHRL did not
    cover a nonresident plaintiff whose employer was headquartered in New York City, who
    “attended quarterly meetings in New York City,” and whose termination decision “was made and
    executed in New York City.” 15 N.Y.3d at 288, 292. Other courts have since applied Hoffman
    to bar NYCHRL claims brought by nonresident plaintiffs whose connections to New York City
    are analogous to Plaintiff’s. See Trotter v. Nat’l Football League, 737 F. Supp. 3d 172, 192
    (S.D.N.Y. 2024) (barring NYCHRL claim even though employer of nonresident plaintiff was
    “located in New York City,” “decisions related to [plaintiff’s] employment and termination were
    made in New York City,” and plaintiff “worked in New York City and stayed overnight in New
    York City during his employment”); Pedroza v. Ralph Lauren Corp., No. 19-CV-8639, 2020
    WL 4273988, at
    3 (S.D.N.Y. July 24, 2020) (barring NYCHRL claim even though nonresident
    plaintiff “traveled to New York City twelve times in the last six months of her employment”);
    Fried v. LVI Servs., Inc., No. 10-CV-9308, 2011 WL 4633985, at *13 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 4, 2011)
    (barring NYCHRL claim even though nonresident plaintiff “attended meetings in New York
    City, made regular phone calls to New York City, and secured contracts for [his employer] in
    New York City”), aff’d, 500 F. App’x 39 (2d Cir. 2012).
    Plaintiff’s connection to New York City is too tangential to trigger the protections of the
    NYCHRL. Crucially, she does not allege that any discriminatory conduct took place while she
    was in New York City: Plaintiff does not claim that she was present at the November 2021
    meeting at which the director of marketing made targeted comments (see Am. Compl. ¶ 38), and
    the mere fact that Defendants made the decision to terminate her in New York City does not
    itself constitute a sufficient tie to the city under Hoffman. Nor does the fact that Plaintiff was
    6
    officially designated as a member of the New York City office demonstrate that she felt the
    impact of her termination in New York City. At most, Plaintiff has alleged that she worked from
    the New York City office once approximately every six weeks and stayed overnight during those
    visits. (Opp. at 5, 7.) And Hoffman and its progeny have made plain that this, by itself, is not
    enough to sweep a nonresident plaintiff within the ambit of the NYCHRL.
    Accordingly, Plaintiff’s NYCHRL claims are dismissed for lack of subject matter
    jurisdiction.
    B. Disability Discrimination under the ADA and NYSHRL
    The ADA and NYSHRL prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability in the “terms,
    conditions, and privileges of employment,” including the termination of employees. 42 U.S.C.
    § 12112(a); see N.Y. Exec. L. 296(1)(a). Plaintiff asserts both a “failure to accommodate”
    theory and an “adverse employment action” theory of discrimination under both statutes.
  1. Failure to Accommodate
    The ADA and NYSHRL require that an employer reasonably accommodate an
    employee’s known disability unless that accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the
    employer. 42 U.S.C. § 12112(b)(5)(A); N.Y. Exec. L. 296(3)(a). To make out a prima facie
    case of discrimination based on a “failure to accommodate” theory, Plaintiff must establish by a
    preponderance of the evidence that “(1) [her] employer is subject to the ADA; (2) [s]he was
    disabled within the meaning of the ADA; (3) [s]he was otherwise qualified to perform the
    essential functions of [her] job, with or without reasonable accommodation; and (4) [her]
    employer refused to make a reasonable accommodation.” Tudor v. Whitehall Cent. Sch. Dist.,
    132 F.4th 242, 246 (2d Cir. 2025) (cleaned up); see also Graves v. Finch Pruyn & Co., Inc., 457
    F.3d 181, 184 n.3 (2d Cir. 2006) (“A claim of disability discrimination under the New York State
    7
    Human Rights Law . . . is governed by the same legal standards as govern federal ADA
    claims.”).
    No party disputes that Defendants are subject to the ADA or that Plaintiff was otherwise
    qualified to perform the essential functions of her job. Instead, Defendants contend that Plaintiff
    is not disabled within the meaning of the ADA because her purported disability is speculative
    and she has not provided enough facts about the nature and severity of her autoimmune
    conditions. (ECF No. 17 (“Mem.”) at 14-15.)
    Under the ADA, a “disability” is a “physical or mental impairment that substantially
    limits one or more major life activities of such individual.” 42 U.S.C. § 12102(1)(A). “The
    ADA contains a non-exhaustive list of ‘major life activities,’ which includes ‘caring for oneself,
    performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending,
    speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working.’”
    Anderson v. City of New York, 712 F. Supp. 3d 412, 432 (S.D.N.Y. 2024) (quoting 42 U.S.C.
    § 12102(2)(A)). A “major life activity” also includes “the operation of a major bodily function,”
    including “functions of the immune system.” 42 U.S.C. § 12102(2)(B). Regulations issued by
    the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) provide that “[t]he term
    ‘substantially limits’ shall be construed broadly in favor of expansive coverage, to the maximum
    extent permitted by the terms of the ADA,” and “is not meant to be a demanding standard.” 29
    C.F.R. § 1630.2(j)(1)(i).
    In her complaint, Plaintiff states that she was diagnosed with multiple “chronic and
    incurable” autoimmune conditions in 2010, describes her symptoms, and explains how they limit
    her ability to perform manual tasks and physical activities like walking, standing, and lifting.
    (Am. Compl. ¶¶ 20-22.) Plaintiff also claims that she has experienced “ongoing immune system
    8
    dysfunction” as a result of “[c]hronic medical complications from a B-19 infection.” (Id. ¶ 20.)
    Plaintiff, however, did not seek reasonable accommodations for her existing physical limitations.
    Instead, she sought a medical exemption from Defendants’ COVID-19 vaccination requirement
    on the theory that “health complications . . . could arise from the [COVID-19] vaccine in light of
    her medical conditions.” (Id. ¶ 25.) The question is whether Plaintiff has sufficiently alleged
    that her risk of an adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine qualifies as a disability under the
    ADA. This Court concludes that she has.
    Defendants point out that several courts in this circuit have dismissed ADA claims based
    on hypothetical negative reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine. See, e.g., Cecere v. Canisius
    Univ., No. 24-CV-00155, 2025 WL 712748, at 5 (W.D.N.Y. Mar. 5, 2025), aff’d, No. 25-798,
    2025 WL 3239732 (2d Cir. Nov. 20, 2025); Phillips v. White Plains Hosp., No. 23-CV-11326,
    2025 WL 448808, at
    4 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 10, 2025); Mercer v. ViacomCBS/Paramount, No. 22-
    CV-6322, 2024 WL 3553133, at 4 (S.D.N.Y. July 26, 2024). But these cases are factually
    distinguishable. None of the plaintiffs in these cases had existing medical conditions that could
    plausibly increase their risk of a serious adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine. Rather, they
    premised their ADA claims solely on hypothetical allergies to the COVID-19 vaccine, which
    were, in turn, cursorily alleged and only thinly supported by evidence. See Cecere, 2025 WL
    712748, at
    5 (“[Plaintiff’s doctor’s] letter does not indicate that Plaintiff will have an allergic
    reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine but just generically references prior reactions to unspecified
    vaccines and states with no specifics that Plaintiff ‘is unable to get the [COVID]-19 vaccine.’”);
    Phillips, 2025 WL 448808, at 4 (finding insufficiently specific a doctor’s note stating that the
    plaintiff’s “genetic bio-variance could cause [a] massive allergic reaction” to the COVID-19
    vaccine); Mercer, 2024 WL 3553133, at
    4 (same).
    9
    By contrast, the doctor’s note attached by Plaintiff to her second request for
    accommodation, though not a picture of clarity, outlined her medical conditions and provided a
    reasoned basis for why those conditions render Plaintiff vulnerable to a serious adverse reaction
    to the COVID-19 vaccine. Specifically, Dr. Hartridge attached redacted documentation of
    Plaintiff’s medical conditions and stated that Plaintiff’s “family history of connective tissue
    disease and autoimmune disease . . . puts her at an exceptionally high risk of complications from
    this vaccine.” (ECF No. 19-3 at 2.) She opined that Plaintiff’s “Parvo B-19 status increases her
    risk of influenza viral origin myocarditis,” which is significant since “myocarditis status post
    COVID-19 vaccination has been widely reported in peer review literature.” (Id.) And she
    claimed that Plaintiff’s underlying conditions “predisposes her to developing severe anemia,”
    which “outweighs the benefit of vaccination with any of t[h]e COVID-19 formulations.” (Id.)
    Certainly, Plaintiff’s case would have been strengthened had Dr. Hartridge supplied more
    detailed allegations about the nature, length, and severity of the complications Plaintiff was at
    risk of experiencing due to the COVID-19 vaccine. But at this stage, Plaintiff was required to
    plead only “sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible
    on its face.’” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678 (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570). Given the substance
    of Dr. Hartridge’s note, Plaintiff has adequately pleaded that her projected reaction to the
    COVID-19 vaccine was more than sheer speculation and potentially serious enough to qualify as
    a disability under the ADA. Cf. O’Reilly v. Med. Facilities of Am., Inc., No. 24-CV-00037, 2025
    WL 1113225, at *5-6 (W.D. Va. Apr. 15, 2025) (concluding that plaintiff adequately alleged that
    her potential adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine, given her asthma, qualified as a
    disability under the ADA).
    10
    In their briefing, Defendants do not argue that a reasonable accommodation was not
    possible or that it imposed an undue hardship. Nor do they supply any details about the process
    by which they reviewed and denied Plaintiff’s request for accommodation, or address Plaintiff’s
    allegation that they consulted a third-party physician before terminating her. (See Am. Compl.
    ¶¶ 32-35.) Instead, Defendants argue that because autoimmune conditions “are not one of the
    contraindications to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine as described by the [Center for Disease
    Control and Prevention],” they were not required to provide Plaintiff with a reasonable
    accommodation. (Mem. at 17-18.) But the Center’s exclusion of Plaintiff’s medical conditions
    from its list of contraindications does not definitively establish that Plaintiff’s request for
    accommodation was frivolous as a matter of law, particularly given Dr. Hartridge’s opinion to
    the contrary. Rather, whether Plaintiff’s medical conditions in fact heightened her risk of a
    serious adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine goes to questions of fact that weigh against
    dismissal at this juncture.
    Accordingly, Defendants’ motion to dismiss is denied as to Plaintiff’s failure-to-
    accommodate claims under the ADA and NYSHRL.
  2. Adverse Employment Action
    Plaintiff also contends that she was unlawfully terminated on account of her disability.
    To make out a prima facie case of discrimination based on an “adverse employment action”
    theory under either the ADA or NYSHRL, Plaintiff must establish that: “(1) the defendant is
    covered by the ADA; (2) plaintiff suffers from or is regarded as suffering from a disability within
    the meaning of the ADA; (3) plaintiff was qualified to perform the essential functions of the job,
    with or without reasonable accommodation; and (4) plaintiff suffered an adverse employment
    action because of [her] disability or perceived disability.” Kinneary v. City of New York, 601
    F.3d 151, 156 (2d Cir. 2010); see Graves, 457 F.3d 184 n.3. It is undisputed that Defendants are
    11
    covered by the ADA, that Plaintiff was qualified to perform the essential functions of her job,
    and that Plaintiff’s termination qualified as an “adverse employment action.” Moreover, because
    this Court has concluded that Plaintiff has pleaded that she has a disability within the meaning of
    the ADA, the only question at issue is whether Plaintiff was terminated “because of [her]
    disability.” Kinneary, 601 F.3d at 156.
    “In employment discrimination cases that do not turn on the employer’s provision of a
    reasonable accommodation, the plaintiff’s ultimate burden is always to show that the protected
    characteristic in question played a motivating role in, or contributed to, the employer’s decision”
    to terminate an employee. Parker v. Sony Pictures Ent., Inc., 260 F.3d 100, 107 (2d Cir. 2001)
    (quotation marks omitted). In other words, there must be a “causal connection between a
    disability and an adverse employment action to support ADA liability as discrimination ‘because
    of disability.’” Id. Plaintiff has failed to demonstrate the requisite causal connection here. In
    her complaint, Plaintiff admits that she was terminated “for not being vaccinated” in violation of
    Defendants’ company-wide vaccination mandate. (Am. Compl. ¶ 18.) She does not allege that
    the vaccination mandate was unequally enforced against disabled employees, nor does she
    otherwise allege facts to suggest that it was her disability, rather than her non-compliance with
    Defendants’ vaccination requirement, that led to her termination. The Second Circuit has held
    “that discharging an employee for failing to comply with generally applicable safety policies
    does not, without more, equate to impermissible discrimination under the ADA.” Sharikov v.
    Philips Med. Sys. MR, Inc., 103 F.4th 159, 163 (2d Cir. 2024).
    Plaintiff attempts to raise an inference of discriminatory motive by alleging that, during a
    November 2021 meeting, Defendants’ head of marketing commented as to employees who did
    not receive COVID-19 vaccinations: “Don’t get it. Be a stupid fu--ing id--t. Go ahead and
    12
    die.” (Id. ¶ 38.) There is no allegation, however, that the head of marketing was involved in—or
    that the comment was made in relation to—the decision to terminate Plaintiff. Additionally, the
    head of marketing is alleged to have made the remark ten months before Plaintiff was
    terminated, weakening any inference that disability discrimination played a motivating role in
    her termination. See Tomassi v. Insignia Fin. Grp., Inc., 478 F.3d 111, 115 (2d Cir. 2007)
    (“[T]he more remote and oblique the remarks are in relation to the employer’s adverse action, the
    less they prove that the action was motivated by discrimination.”), abrogated on other grounds
    by Gross v. FBL Fin. Servs. Inc., 557 U.S. 167, 177-78 (2009). Plaintiff also cursorily asserts
    that “Defendants were already contemplating the removal of the [vaccination] mandate at the
    time Plaintiff was terminated.” (Id. ¶ 40.) But she provides no facts to support this assertion or
    otherwise make out a claim of disability discrimination.
    Because Plaintiff fails to “set forth any factual circumstances from which a disability-
    based motivation for [her termination] might be inferred,” Giambattista v. Am. Airlines, Inc., 584
    F. App’x 23, 25 (2d Cir. 2014) (summary order) (brackets omitted) (quoting Patane v. Clark,
    508 F.3d 106, 112 (2d Cir. 2007)), her “adverse employment action” claims of disability
    discrimination under the ADA and NYSHRL are dismissed for failure to state a claim.
    V. Conclusion
    For the foregoing reasons, Defendants’ motion to dismiss Plaintiff’s Amended Complaint
    is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part. Defendants’ earlier motion to dismiss, filed at
    Docket Number 7, is denied as moot.
    Defendants shall file an answer to the remaining claims within 14 days after the date of
    this Opinion and Order. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(a)(4)(A).
    The stay of discovery is hereby lifted. The parties shall file a revised proposed case
    management plan within 21 days after the date of this Opinion and Order.
    13
    The Clerk of Court is directed to close the motions at Docket Numbers 7 and 16.
by
| | Reply
Post ID: @a5+1kedr6b49

Post a reply

: