Joshua D. Steele
Associate

Mr. Steele is an associate of the firm. He practices in the Labor and Employment Law Practice Group and serves on the Educational Institutions Team. Mr. Steele counsels and represents employers in a wide range of labor and employment law matters, including litigation under Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, the New York Labor and Human Rights Law, and the First and Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Mr. Steele also represents employers in administrative proceedings before the New York State Division of Human Rights, the EEOC, and the Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board.

In addition to employment discrimination and civil rights litigation, Mr. Steele represents school districts in Article 78 matters and special education litigation and counsels public and private employers on various wage and hour issues under federal and New York state law, including the FLSA and federal and state prevailing wage laws. He has given presentations to numerous employers and organizations on a variety of labor and employment related topics, including the recently enacted federal health care legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. 

Recent representative cases include:

• Perrin v. Canandaigua City School District(U.S. District Court): Discrimination, free speech, and equal protection claims dismissed in favor of the district.
• Kenney v. Genesee Valley BOCES (U.S. District Court): First Amendment and New York State Constitutional free speech claim by employee dismissed in favor of employer.
• Newman v. LeRoy Central School District(U.S. District Court): New York State Human Rights Law claims were dismissed in favor of the district for failure to file timely notice of claim.
• Levine v. Greece Central School District(U.S. District Court, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, and U.S. Supreme Court): Claims under the IDEA, ADA, and the Rehabilitation Act dismissed for failure to exhaust administrative remedies. Dismissal was upheld by the Second Circuit and request for review by the Supreme Court was denied.
• Bonilla v. Monroe BOCES #1(U.S. District Court): Summary judgment obtained for employer in disability discrimination case.
• Quinn v. Brockport Central School District(N.Y.S. Supreme Court): Article 78 Petition challenging termination of civil service employee dismissed in favor of the district.