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O'Reilly v. Executone of Albany, Inc.

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Third Department
Jun 5, 1986
121 A.D.2d 772 (N.Y. App. Div. 1986)

Summary

holding that plaintiff stated an IIED claim by alleging that her supervisor ignored her complaints that she was subjected to "sexual jokes, comments and inquiries, sexually oriented physical contact and gestures, sexually oriented practical jokes, the posting and presence of pornographic pictures. . . ."

Summary of this case from Fahmy v. Duane Reade, Inc.

Opinion

June 5, 1986

Appeal from the Supreme Court, Albany County (Klein, J.).


Plaintiff alleges in the first of three causes of action in her complaint that, during her employment as a marketing executive with defendant Executone of Albany, Inc. (Executone) from April 11, 1983 through January 25, 1984, she was: "repeatedly, intentionally, and maliciously harassed by certain male co-workers and by Defendant [Michael] Mahar, her supervisor whose harassing conduct included, but was not limited to: subjecting Plaintiff to sexual jokes, comments and inquiries, sexually oriented physical contact and gestures, sexually oriented practical jokes, the posting and presence of pornographic pictures and exposing sexual artifacts to Plaintiff." She alleges that such harassment was directed to her because she is a woman. Plaintiff claims that she objected to such conduct and complained of it to Mahar, who is allegedly both general manager and president of Executone. She alleges further that by virtue of her complaints, Executone and the company for whom it is a distributor had knowledge of the sexual harassment but refused to take corrective or remedial action and that defendant companies thereby acquiesced in the sexual harassment of plaintiff. She claims that this created a hostile work environment, made daily work difficult for her and forced her to resign her position at Executone. She also alleges that by virtue of the foregoing, defendant companies discriminated against her in regard to terms, conditions, and privileges of her employment. She charges that because of the sexual harassment, she was forced to resign her position and take other employment with a lower salary.

For a second cause of action, plaintiff repeats most of the allegations of the first cause of action and further states that she was "intentionally, repeatedly, and maliciously touched in a sexual manner by Defendant, Stanley Groggins". She alleges that defendant companies had knowledge of such battery by virtue of her complaints but refused to take any corrective or remedial action, thereby acquiescing in said battery. For the third cause of action, plaintiff alleges that defendants intended to cause her to suffer mental and emotional distress by harassing her.

Following a motion by various defendants to dismiss the complaint for failure to state a cause of action, Special Term denied the motion as to Executone, Mahar and Groggins. This appeal ensued.

When, as here, a motion to dismiss for failure to state a cause of action is addressed to the entire complaint rather than to particular causes of action thereof, it must be denied if one of plaintiff's causes of action is found to be legally sufficient (Birnbaum v. Citibank, 97 A.D.2d 392, 393; State of New York v Monarch Chems., 90 A.D.2d 907; Country-Wide Leasing Corp. v Subaru Distribs. Corp., 85 A.D.2d 592, 592-593). Special Term properly found not one but two viable causes of action alleged in this complaint, one for battery and one for intentional infliction of emotional distress, and was not required to go further. The order should therefore be affirmed. It is not necessary for this court to examine the sufficiency of the remaining causes of action (see, Birnbaum v. Citibank, supra, p 393).

The argument that Special Term erred in sustaining the third cause of action is not persuasive. The alleged intentional infliction of emotional distress is not said to be due to plaintiff's wrongful discharge, but due to the unlawful sexual harassment. Thus, the case of Murphy v. American Home Prods. Corp. ( 58 N.Y.2d 293) is distinguishable and does not require that the third cause of action be dismissed.

Order affirmed, with costs. Kane, J.P., Casey, Mikoll and Levine, JJ., concur.


Summaries of

O'Reilly v. Executone of Albany, Inc.

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Third Department
Jun 5, 1986
121 A.D.2d 772 (N.Y. App. Div. 1986)

holding that plaintiff stated an IIED claim by alleging that her supervisor ignored her complaints that she was subjected to "sexual jokes, comments and inquiries, sexually oriented physical contact and gestures, sexually oriented practical jokes, the posting and presence of pornographic pictures. . . ."

Summary of this case from Fahmy v. Duane Reade, Inc.

holding that complaint alleging sexual harassment on job by superiors and coworkers stated cause of action for intentional infliction of emotional distress

Summary of this case from Girvin v. Birnbaum

affirming denial of motion to dismiss where plaintiff had been subjected to physical sexual contact, jokes, pornography, and erotica

Summary of this case from Wahlstrom v. Metro-North Commuter R. Co.

recognizing claim of IIED based on sexual harassment

Summary of this case from Funk v. F & K Supply, Inc.

In O'Reilly v. Executone of Albany, Inc., 121 A.D.2d 772, 503 N.Y.S.2d 185, 186 (App.Div.3d Dep't 1986), the court affirmed the trial court's refusal to dismiss the female plaintiffs intentional infliction of emotional distress claim based on sexual harassment by male co-workers and supervisor who allegedly "repeatedly, intentionally, and maliciously" subjected the plaintiff to "sexual jokes, comments and inquiries, sexually oriented physical contact and gestures, sexually oriented practical jokes, the posting and presence of pornographic pictures and exposing sexual artifacts to Plaintiff."

Summary of this case from Gardner v. St. Bonaventure University
Case details for

O'Reilly v. Executone of Albany, Inc.

Case Details

Full title:KAREN O'REILLY, Also Known as KAREN VERDICCHIO, Respondent, v. EXECUTONE…

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Third Department

Date published: Jun 5, 1986

Citations

121 A.D.2d 772 (N.Y. App. Div. 1986)

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