LUCARELLI v. Gary Parziale, etc., et al., Defendants. (2005)

Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Diane A. Lebedeff, J.), entered December 20, 2004, which denied the motions of defendant New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) to amend its answer to assert defenses of absolute immunity and federal preemption and for summary judgment on those grounds, unanimously affirmed, without costs.

 The gravamen of the complaint, in this action under the Human Rights Laws (Executive Law § 296 and New York City Administrative Code § 8-107), is that NYMEX condoned, aided and abetted the sexual harassment of an employee in a place of public accommodation (see D'Amico v. Commodities Exch., 235 A.D.2d 313, 314, 652 N.Y.S.2d 294 [1997] ).   NYMEX cannot assert immunity under the Commodity Exchange Act (7 USC § 1 et seq.) because plaintiff's claim has nothing to do with the purposes of that statute or the exercise of NYMEX's regulatory functions thereunder, which are to ensure fair practices and honest dealings on commodities exchanges and to ensure the integrity of the commodities markets (see Shapira v. Charles Schwab & Co., 187 F.Supp.2d 188, 191 [S.D.N.Y.2002];  cf. D'Alessio v. New York Stock Exch., 258 F.3d 93, 106 [2d Cir.2001], cert. denied 534 U.S. 1066, 122 S.Ct. 666, 151 L.Ed.2d 580 [2001];  Barbara v. New York Stock Exch., 99 F.3d 49, 58 [2d Cir.1996];  Mandelbaum v. New York Mercantile Exch., 894 F.Supp. 676 [S.D.N.Y.1995] ).   Nor are these claims preempted by federal law, either under field preemption or as a conflict between state and federal law.   A finding in plaintiff's favor, under New York's Human Rights Laws, would not frustrate the accomplishment, full purpose and objective of Congress under the federal statute (see Matter of Delta Air Lines v. New York State Div. of Human Rights, 91 N.Y.2d 65, 75, 666 N.Y.S.2d 1004, 689 N.E.2d 898 [1997], affg. 229 A.D.2d 132, 138, 652 N.Y.S.2d 253 [1996], which cited Hines v. Davidowitz, 312 U.S. 52, 67, 61 S.Ct. 399, 85 L.Ed. 581 [1941];  but see contra Bantum v. American Stock Exch., 7 A.D.3d 551, 777 N.Y.S.2d 137 [2d Dept.2004], lv. granted 4 N.Y.3d 701, 790 N.Y.S.2d 647, 824 N.E.2d 48 [2004], appeal withdrawn 4 N.Y.3d 882, 798 N.Y.S.2d 727, 831 N.E.2d 972 [2005] ).