Where a complainant has brought hostile work environment, disparate treatment, and retaliation claims, her complaint should be dismissed because (1) workplace comments were not sufficiently severe or pervasive to rise to the level of harassment and (2) the complainant has failed to prove that she suffered an adverse action because of discriminatory animus or in retaliation for making an internal complaint.
“Complainant, Kasha Ambroise, filed a complaint with the Commission against Respondents Howard Kahalas and the Law Office of Howard Kahalas (‘Firm’). …
“On or about November 3, 2017, Ambroise was working late in the paralegals’ room. … Kahalas saw her and said to Ambroise that he was going to call her nickels, because she hates nickels, because they are not dimes, and asked if she was trying to get ahead (‘hate nickels because they are not dimes comment’). I credit Kahalas’ testimony that he was making a joke that he had made for years. Kahalas explained its meaning. The joke was that one who hates nickels because they are not dimes is a person who wants to make more money. …
“I determine the ‘hate nickels because they are not dimes comment’ itself was not based on race or color. It was a joke about money Kahalas had used for years. …
“The n-word is one of the most vile and devastating words in the English language. Its single utterance, by itself, is more than sufficient to establish a hostile work environment by race and color. But in this case, the n-word was not...
Pakistani actress and model Ayesha Omar has strongly denied a controversial statement falsely attributed to her on social media. In recent days, a statement circulated online claiming that the act...