Case Name: John G. Majtan, Appellant, v. Howard D. Johnson Company et al., Respondents
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1990-12-21
Citations: 168 A.D.2d 912
Docket Number: 
Parties: John G. Majtan, Appellant, v Howard D. Johnson Company et al., Respondents.
Judges: 
Reporter: Appellate Division Reports
Volume: 168
Pages: 912–912

Head Matter:
John G. Majtan, Appellant, v Howard D. Johnson Company et al., Respondents.

Opinion:
Judgment unanimously reversed on the law with costs and motion denied. Memorandum: The court erred in granting defendants' motion for summary judgment because defendants failed to meet their burden of proving as a matter of law that the remarks made by their employee, a waitress, to a customer about plaintiff's sexual preference were outside the scope of her employment (see generally, Riviello v Waldron, 47 NY2d 297, 303; Murray v Watervliet City School Dist., 130 AD2d 830), particularly in light of the fact that her job responsibilities included making conversation with the customers (cf., Heindel v Bowery Sav. Bank, 138 AD2d 787). We further find that plaintiff has raised a question of fact whether defendants ratified their employee's statements (see, e.g, Matter of State Div. of Human Rights v St. Elizabeth's Hosp., 66 NY2d 684; see generally, 52 NY Jur 2d, Employment Relations, § 358). (Appeal from judgment of Supreme Court, Herkimer County, O'Donnell, J.—summary judgment.) Present—Callahan, J. P., Doerr, Boomer, Pine and Lawton, JJ.