Opinion
15623, 114004/10
07-09-2015
Ngina DUCKETT, Plaintiff–Respondent, v. NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL, Defendant–Appellant.
Epstein Becker & Green, P.C., New York (James S. Frank and Jill Barbarinc of counsel), for appellant. The Dweck Law Firm, LLP, New York (H.P. Sean Dweck and Chris Fraser of counsel), for respondent.
Epstein Becker & Green, P.C., New York (James S. Frank and Jill Barbarinc of counsel), for appellant.
The Dweck Law Firm, LLP, New York (H.P. Sean Dweck and Chris Fraser of counsel), for respondent.
GONZALEZ, P.J., SWEENY, RENWICK, SAXE, FEINMAN, JJ.
Opinion Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Shlomo S. Hagler, J.), entered October 23, 2014, which denied defendant hospital's motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint, unanimously affirmed, without costs.
Issues of fact exist as to whether the hospital unlawfully terminated petitioner's employment because of her disability. There is evidence in the record that plaintiff was suffering from a mental illness that was affecting her job performance before the hospital terminated her employment. There is also evidence that hospital employees, including plaintiff's supervisor, were aware of her physical and mental health issues shortly before she took medical leave, and that her supervisor was concerned about her fitness to work upon her return (compare Hazen v. Hill Betts & Nash, LLP, 92 A.D.3d 162, 936 N.Y.S.2d 164 [1st Dept.2012], lv. denied 19 N.Y.3d 812, 2012 WL 4074159 [2012] [determination that employer unlawfully discriminated against employee was not supported by substantial evidence where there was no evidence that the petitioner was suffering from a mental illness or that the employer knew, before it terminated the petitioner's employment, that the petitioner was disabled by his alleged disorder or that the disorder limited his performance] ).
Plaintiff is not estopped from asserting her discrimination claims under the State and City Human Rights Laws. Her application for, and receipt of, federal and state disability benefits is not inconsistent with her claims (Cleveland v. Policy Management Systems Corp., 526 U.S. 795, 119 S.Ct. 1597, 143 L.Ed.2d 966 [1999] ). Further, the hospital has not established, as a matter of law, that plaintiff could not have performed her job duties with a reasonable accommodation.