A New York state judge has thrown out two of the claims in a former Sullivan & Cromwell associate’s sexual orientation bias suit against the firm, writes the New York Law Journal. Aaron Charney sued the firm in January, alleging that partners discriminated against him because he is homosexual, mostly through persistent insinuations that Charney was involved in a relationship with a fellow associate, Gera Grinberg, and that such a relationship was inappropriate.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Bernard Fried ruled Friday that Charney’s claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress was duplicative of his claims for discrimination and retaliation under New York City’s Human Rights Law, which the judge said already provided for damages based on emotional harm.
