Molly F. Plewinski

Molly is an experienced litigator whose higher education practice focuses on defending colleges and universities against claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in state and federal court. Molly litigates matters involving student conduct issues, student challenges to academic decisions, and freedom of speech issues. She also represents higher education institutions in tort and employment matters. Her recent work includes the following:

• Obtained summary judgment on New York Labor Law 741 retaliation claim asserted against university medical center. Veenema v. University of Rochester, Monroe County Index No. I2016000817.
• Obtained pre-answer dismissal of New York Human Rights Law and breach of contract claims challenging the university’s discipline of students following campus protests. Mohamad v. University of Rochester, Monroe County Index No. E2025013016; MacIntyre-Beiter v. University of Rochester, Monroe County Index No. E2025017593.
• Obtained pre-answer dismissal of negligence claims asserted against a college where plaintiff alleged the college failed to protect him against sexual abuse and harassment by faculty and staff. Doe v. Ithaca College, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 162936 (N.D.N.Y. Sept. 10, 2024).
• Obtained pre-answer dismissal of Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act and negligence claims where plaintiffs alleged college failed to protect them against third-party criminal acts. Levin v. Sarah Lawrence College, 747 F. Supp. 3d 645 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 3, 2024).
• Defended university against negligence and breach of contract claims arising from alleged student-on-student sexual assault.
• Represented university in litigation involving False Claims Act and New York Human Rights Law retaliation claims.

In addition to her higher education practice, Molly also handles employment, business and commercial, and select tort matters. She defends clients against an array of discrimination, retaliation, breach of contract, defamation, and serious injury claims.   

While in law school, Molly served as a judicial intern to the Honorable Julio Fuentes of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, worked as a summer associate at Ward, Greenberg, Heller, and Reidy LLP, and clerked for in-house counsel at National Fuel Gas Company. She graduated in the top 5% of her class from the University at Buffalo School of Law.

Services

Education

St. Lawrence University, B.S.

‍Suffolk University, M.S.A., with honors

University at Buffalo School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude

Admissions

• New York
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
• U.S. District Court, Western District of New York
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York