The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit recently reinstated a former laundromat employee’s discrimination lawsuit against her employer, even though her employment had been terminated for taking cash from the cash register.

The decision in Knox v. CRC Management Co., LLC, No. 23-121 (2d Cir. 2025), underscores the importance of promptly addressing employee complaints, providing training to supervisors, and ensuring policies are reduced to writing and enforced consistently in the workplace.

Quick Hits

• The Second Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a district court’s entry of summary judgment that had been granted in favor of a defendant employer and reinstated the plaintiff’s employment discrimination lawsuit, finding that genuine disputes of material fact existed as to each of the plaintiff’s claims and that the plaintiff was entitled to present the claims to a jury.
• The plaintiff, a former laundromat employee whose employer had discharged her for removing cash from the register and refusing to return it, filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging discriminatory and retaliatory termination, hostile work environment, refusal to accommodate a disability, and unpaid wages.
• The case highlights for employers the value of carefully addressing employee complaints of discrimination and harassment, enforcing workplace policies consistently, and providing training for supervisors.

Background

Natasha Knox, a Black woman of Jamaican descent, was employed as a customer service...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMirgFBVV95cUxPSExCOHpfSzdOQkxfR0ozWFVI...