Klimovitsky v. JG Innovative Industries, Inc

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedDecember 1, 2021
Docket1:21-cv-00755
StatusUnknown

This text of Klimovitsky v. JG Innovative Industries, Inc (Klimovitsky v. JG Innovative Industries, Inc) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Klimovitsky v. JG Innovative Industries, Inc, (E.D.N.Y. 2021).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK --------------------------------------------------------------- INESSA KLIMOVITSKY,

Plaintiff, MEMORANDUM & ORDER 21-CV-755 (MKB) v.

JG INNOVATIVE INDUSTRIES, INC., JOSEPH GOTTLIEB, ANAT GEULA, and DOV MEDINA,

Defendants, --------------------------------------------------------------- MARGO K. BRODIE, United States District Judge: Plaintiff Inessa Klimovitsky commenced the above-captioned action on February 11, 2021, (Compl., Docket Entry No. 1), against Defendants JG Innovative Industries, Inc. (“JGII”), Joseph Gottlieb, Anat Geula, and Dov Medina, alleging violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq. (“Title VII”), the New York State Human Rights Law, N.Y. Exec. Law § 290 et seq. (“NYSHRL”), the New York City Human Rights Law, N.Y.C. Admin. Code § 8-101 et seq. (“NYCHRL”), the Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. § 201 et seq. (“FLSA”), and the New York Labor Law § 190 et seq. (“NYLL”). Plaintiff filed an amended complaint on May 24, 2021, alleging the same violations against Defendants. (Am. Compl., Docket Entry No. 12.) Defendants now move to dismiss Plaintiff’s Title VII claims under Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Plaintiff’s NYSHRL and NYCHRL claims under Rule 12(b)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and Plaintiff opposes.1 For the reasons set forth below, the Court grants Defendants’ motion and dismisses Plaintiff’s Title VII, NYSHRL, and NYCHRL claims without prejudice. I. Background

The Court assumes the truth of the factual allegations in the Amended Complaint for the purposes of this Memorandum and Order. a. The parties Plaintiff is a female residing in New York County, New York. (Am. Compl. ¶¶ 7, 9.) Defendants hired and employed Plaintiff as an Operations Manager for JGII at Defendants’ Kew Gardens location in Kew Gardens, New York. (Id. ¶ 8.) Plaintiff is married with four daughters. (Id. ¶ 29.) JGII is a for-profit entity incorporated in New York State. (Id. ¶ 10.) Plaintiff alleges upon information and belief that JGII has parent corporations, subsidiaries, affiliates, divisions, successors, and assigns operating within and outside the State of New York, including an

affiliate company in Israel. (Id. ¶ 11.) These companies misclassified certain individuals as independent contractors rather than employees. (Id. ¶ 12.) In addition, JGII has employed fifteen or more individuals for each working day in twenty or more weeks during the year 2020. (Id. ¶ 13.)

1 (See Defs.’ Mot. to Dismiss (“Defs.’ Mot.”), Docket Entry No. 15; Defs.’ Mem. in Supp. of Defs.’ Mot. (“Defs.’ Mem.”), Docket Entry No. 16; Defs.’ Reply in Further Supp. of Defs.’ Mot. (“Defs.’ Reply”), Docket Entry No. 19; Pl.’s Mem in Opp. to Defs.’ Mot. (“Pl.’s Opp’n”), Docket Entry No. 17.) Gottlieb and Geula are residents of New York employed in a supervisory role by JGII. (Id. ¶¶ 15–16.) Medina was and is a resident of the State of New York employed by JGII. (Id. ¶ 17.) b. Plaintiff’s employment with JGII

Plaintiff was hired by JGII as a full-time Operations Manager on March 2, 2020, but because of the Covid-19 pandemic, she was furloughed eighteen days later, on March 20, 2020. (Id. ¶¶ 19–20.) In or about August of 2020, JGII recalled their employees, including Plaintiff, who was recalled on September 1, 2020. (Id. ¶ 21.) Medina was Plaintiff’s coworker and superior, and Geula was their direct supervisor. (Id. ¶¶ 22–23.) Outside of her work, Medina was a personal trainer and fitness coach, which was “widely known” at JGII because Medina regularly trained employees, including Geula. (Id. ¶¶ 27–28.) According to her regular performance reviews, Plaintiff was a “stellar employee” and satisfactorily performed all of her duties and responsibilities. (Id. ¶¶ 24–25.) Her work performance “was above average, as she consistently received compliments and highly positive

reviews throughout her tenure with . . . JGII.” (Id. ¶ 26.) c. Alleged harassment by Medina “[D]espite Medina’s marital status and Plaintiff’s clear disinterest in pursuing anything romantic with him, Plaintiff became the target of an egregious discriminatory scheme of sexual harassment by Medina.” (Id. ¶ 30.) Plaintiff had no consensual sexual relationship with him. (Id. ¶ 31.) Despite Geula’s supervisory role, she did not step in to stop Medina’s sexual harassment of Plaintiff and “was continuously complicit” in the harassment and “even at times actively participated” in this harassment. (Id. ¶¶ 34–35.) Gottlieb also continuously “acquiesced” to Medina’s harassment without ever stepping in on Plaintiff’s behalf. (Id. ¶ 35.) For months, Plaintiff was subjected to flagrant sexual comments and actions by Medina, including inappropriate grabbing and touching of Plaintiff, unprofessional comments about Plaintiff’s body and Medina’s genitals, instances where Medina would suddenly pull down his pants and show Plaintiff his underwear or genitals, and even “the unsolicited use of sex toys in

front of Plaintiff despite Plaintiff’s repeated pleas for Medina to stop.” (Id. ¶ 37.) Plaintiff attempted to stop this conduct by turning away from him, begging him to stop harassing her, “calling his conduct inappropriate, insisting that she was very uncomfortable,” and “pointing out that he had a wife and children at home.” (Id. ¶ 39.) Medina refused to “[rein] in his harassment” and instead “tried to normalize his behavior.” (Id. ¶ 40.) His unwanted sexual comments and actions persisted. (Id. ¶ 41.) On December 29, 2020, Plaintiff confronted Medina about the “inappropriateness of him using a sex toy on himself in front of her just days after he brought up the subject again.” (Id. ¶ 42.) Medina became angry, and when JGII employees came back after the New Year’s holiday, Plaintiff noticed that he was avoiding her and had stopped asking her for help on tasks

that she usually handled. (Id. ¶ 44.) However, during lunch with the entire company at the office, Medina “creepily smiled” at Plaintiff and “inappropriately hugged her” in front of everyone. (Id. ¶ 44.) d. Plaintiff’s termination On January 7, 2021, Plaintiff was told that she had been laid off effective February 1, 2021, allegedly due to Covid-19. (Id. ¶¶ 45–46.) No other workers were terminated at this time and Plaintiff was replaced with another employee shortly thereafter. (Id. ¶ 46.) On January 12, 2021, Plaintiff met with Medina to discuss her termination. (Id. ¶ 48.) Medina “belittled” Plaintiff by calling her “honey,” calling her concerns “misunderstandings,” and offering to buy her a bouquet of flowers to make it up to her. (Id. ¶¶ 50–51.) Defendants ignored Plaintiff’s complaints. (Id. ¶ 53.) Plaintiff alleges that JGII, Gottlieb, and Geula were aware of Medina’s egregious sexual conduct but “failed to address and deliberately turned a blind eye.” (Id. ¶ 54.)

e. EEOC Charge On January 14, 2021, Plaintiff filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (the “EEOC”) alleging unlawful discrimination. (Id. ¶ 3.) Plaintiff has not yet received a right to sue letter from the EEOC and seeks to stay her claims under Title VII until the “180-day statutory conciliation period required by 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(f)(1)” has elapsed. (Id. ¶ 4.) f.

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