A federal judge denied the state’s motion to dismiss a job discrimination claim brought by a psychiatric center worker who said he was demoted and denied promotion because he is black—and because his white girlfriend had won a judgment for being unfairly fired from the same center.

Northern District Judge Gary Sharpe (See Profile) held in Richardson v. New York State Office of Mental Health, 6:11-cv-1007 that Keith Richardson has raised enough questions to allow his action to proceed.