Full opinion text
MEMORANDUM ROBRENO, District Judge. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. BACKGROUND.394 II. DISCUSSION lO oí CO A. Untimeliness Issues as to Plaintiffs Reynolds, Minott-Talley and Ramirez-Crane’s Claims . CO c* CO 1. Plaintiffs Reynolds, Minott-Talley and Ramirez-Crane’s Title VII claims. CO CO a. Continuing violations doctrine. t-ai CO b. Single filing rule . o Ci CO c. Emotional distress. H ^ 2. Plaintiffs Reynolds, Minott-Talley and Ramirez-Crane’s Section 1981 claims. CO 3. Plaintiff Ramirez-Crane’s Equal Pay Act claim. ^ o ^ 4. Plaintiff Owens’ Title VII sex discrimination claim. lO ^ B. Merits of Plaintiffs Velez, Owens and Tucker’s Claims .405 1. Applicable standard of proof.405 a. Direct evidence .406 b. McDonnell Douglas indirect proof model.407 2. Title VII, Section 1981, and PHRA .408 a. Token hiring.408 b. Hostile work environment.:.409 i. Nexus between different types of discrimination at QVC.412 ii. Plaintiff Velez’s hostile work environment claim.412 iii. Plaintiff Owens’ hostile work environment claim.414 iv. Plaintiff Tucker’s hostile work environment claim.414 c. Retaliation .415 i. Plaintiff Velez’s retaliation claim.416 ii. Plaintiff Owens’ retaliation claim.416 iii. Plaintiff Tucker’s retaliation claim.417 d. Disparate treatment.418 e. Termination.419 3. Equal Pay Act.420 a. Plaintiff Owens’ Equal Pay Act violation claim.420 b. Plaintiff Tucker’s Equal Pay Act violation claim.421 4. New York Statutory Claims.421 a. Plaintiff Velez’s New York statutory claims.422 b. Plaintiff Tucker’s New York statutory claims.422 5. Plaintiff Tucker’s fraud claim .422 C. Outstanding Discovery.423 III. CONCLUSION.425 Plaintiff Victor Velez (“Velez”) and five other former show hosts of defendant QVC, a telemarketing television network, have filed this putative class action against QVC for alleged discrimination based on race and sex. QVC conducts its business through the medium of nationally broadcast direct response television programming which is aired live twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. As show hosts, plaintiffs appeared on the air for the purpose of marketing and selling the products sold by QVC. The claims are based on federal civil rights law as well as the laws of New York and Pennsylvania. The case was initially filed as a class action. However, given the number of putative class representatives, the complexity of the claims asserted under the laws of various jurisdictions, which were applicable to some but not all plaintiffs, under the unusual circumstances of this case, and for case management purposes, the court deferred holding a hearing on class certification until merit discovery was concluded and the contours of each claim asserted by each plaintiff became more apparent. Following the filing of five amended complaints, completion of exhaustive and contentious discovery, and lengthy briefing by the parties, the legal issues implicated by the various claims are ripe for decision. Presently before the court are defendant’s motions for summary judgment. For the reasons that follow, summary judgment will be granted on all of the claims of plaintiffs Clarence Reynolds, Sophia Minott-Talley, and Daliza Ramirez-Crane, because the claims are time-barred. Summary judgment as to the claims of plaintiffs Velez, Owens and Tucker is granted in part and denied in part. I. BACKGROUND Count I of the Fifth Amended Complaint alleges a violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e, et seq., for race and sex discrimination. First, plaintiffs maintain that those plaintiffs who are members of racial minorities were hired based on the discriminatory practice of “tokenism.” Second, plaintiffs allege that the defendant practices discriminatory disparate treatment of racial minority hosts by relegating them to the “graveyard” shifts with no genuine hope of advancement. Third, plaintiffs assert that QVC maintains a hostile work environment with respect to racial minority and female employees. Fourth, plaintiffs maintain that their terminations were the result of discrimination. Lastly, plaintiffs allege that QVC retaliated against them for participating in protected activities under Title VII. In Count II, those plaintiffs asserting discrimination based on race also assert violations of § 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, based on the same allegations of race discrimination as mentioned in Count I. In Counts III and IV, plaintiffs Velez and Tucker allege violations of-New York Executive Law § 296 (New York State Human Rights Law (“NYSHRL”)) and Administrative Code of the City of New York § 8-107 (New York City Civil Rights Law (“NYCCRL”)). In Count V, plaintiffs Velez, Owens and Tucker allege violations of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, 43 Pa. Con. Stat. Ann. § 954(a) (“PHRA”). In Count XI, plaintiff Tucker asserts a fraud claim under Pennsylvania law arising from the final contract that she entered into with QVC in May, 1999. Finally, in Count XII, plaintiffs Owens, Tucker and Ramirez-Crane allege violations of the Equal Pay Act. Defendant maintains that it is entitled to summary judgment on all plaintiffs’ claims because they are either untimely or raise no genuine issue of material fact. II. DISCUSSION For the sake of clarity, the discussion seriatim is divided into three parts. Part A will discuss the timeliness of plaintiffs’ Reynolds, Minott-Talley and Ramirez-Crane’s claims. Part B will discuss the substantive merits of plaintiffs Velez, Owens and Tucker’s .claims. Part C will discuss plaintiffs’ request for yet additional time to conduct discovery before they can adequately respond to defendant’s motions for summary judgment. A. Untimeliness Issues as to Plaintiffs Reynold, Minott-Talley and Ramirez-Crane Defendant makes the following arguments with respect to the untimeliness of some of the plaintiffs’ claims. First, the Title VII claims of plaintiffs Reynolds, Mi-nott-Talley and Ramirez-Crane are time-barred for failure to exhaust administrative remedies. Second, the Section 1981 claims of plaintiffs Reynolds, Minott-Tal-ley and Ramirez-Crane are barred by the two year statute of limitations. Third, plaintiff Ramirez-Crane’s Equal Pay Act claim is barred by the applicable statute of limitations. Fourth, plaintiff Owens’ sex discrimination claim is barred because her EEOC charge did not include an allegation of sex discrimination. 1. Plaintiffs Reynolds, Minott-Talley and Ramirez-Crane’s Title VII claims Before a lawsuit can be brought to assert claims under Title VII, a charge of discrimination must be filed with the EEOC within 300 days of the occurrence of the alleged discriminatory employment practice. 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000e—5(f) & 2000e-5(e); EEOC v. Commercial Office Prods., 486 U.S. 107, 110, 108 S.Ct. 1666, 100 L.Ed.2d 96 (1988); Woodson v. Scott Paper Co., 109 F.3d 913, 926 (3d Cir.1997) (“[F]ederal courts lack jurisdiction to hear a Title VII claim, unless the plaintiff has filed a charge with the EEOC.”). The purpose of the EEOC filing requirement is twofold: one, to notify the charged party of the grievances against it, and, two, to encourage conciliation between the parties. See Hicks v. ABT Assocs., Inc., 572 F.2d 960, 963 (3d Cir.1978). A violation which is not made the subject of an EEOC charge within the requisite time period is “the legal equivalent of a discriminatory act which occurred before the statute was passed” and is “merely an unfortunate event in history which has no present legal consequences.” United Air Lines, Inc. v. Evans, 431 U.S. 553, 558, 97 S.Ct. 1885, 52 L.Ed.2d 571 (1977). The timeliness of the charge is determined by the date that the statute of limitations begins to run, i.e., the date of the discriminatory act, not the time that the consequences of that act are realized. Del. State Coll. v. Ricks, 449 U.S. 250, 259, 101 S.Ct. 498, 66 L.Ed.2d 431 (1980) (“[T]he limitations period commenced to run when the tenure decision was made and Ricks was notified.”). An employee who is terminated or resigns must file charges with the EEOC within 300 days of the resignation or termination, since their last date of employment is the last day on which the employee could have suffered an adverse employment action. See Hipp v. Liberty National Life Ins. Co., 252 F.3d 1208, 1222 n. 12 (11th Cir.2001). Reynolds’ last day of employment with QVC, the last day he could have suffered an adverse employment action, was November 12, 1993. He had until September 8, 1994 to file an EEOC charge. Minott-Talley was terminated on February 28, 1995; thus, she had to file an EEOC charge by December 25, 1995. Ramirez-Crane was terminated on June 1, 1995. She had to file a charge with the EEOC by March 27, 1996. Because plaintiffs Reynolds, Minott-Talley and Ramirez-Crane did not file charges with the EEOC within 300 days of their termination or resignations, their claims are barred. Plaintiffs seek to breathe new life into their expired claims by arguing that the filing requirement of Title VII and the applicable statute of limitations of § 1981 should be tolled under: 1) the continuing violation doctrine, 2) the single filing rule, and/or 3) as a result of plaintiffs’ severe emotional distress. These arguments are unavailing. a. Continuing violations doctrine The continuing violations doctrine enables a plaintiff who files an EEOC complaint about a specific discriminatory act by his employer to reach back in time to prove other discriminatory acts that his employer committed against him, even if those acts occurred more than 300 days before the event of which he formally complained, see West v. Philadelphia Elec. Co., 45 F.3d 744, 748 (3d Cir.1995), provided that he “can demonstrate that the act is part of an ongoing practice or pattern of discrimination of the defendant.” Id. at 754; see also Hipp, 252 F.3d at 1221 (explaining that “claims of discrimination were not time-barred because some acts of discrimination against the individual plaintiffs had occurred within the statutory period, even though prior acts did not. The earlier acts of discrimination were actionable because they were part of a continuing violation”). As stated above, plaintiffs Reynolds, Mi-nott-Talley and Ramirez-Crane did not file a claim within 300 days of the last act of discrimination alleged, i.e., the last day of their employment with defendant. Only Velez did so. Plaintiffs Reynolds, Min-nott-Talley and Ramirez-Crane argue that the defendant continued the same type of alleged discriminatory pattern and practice against Velez for more than 300 days after the last adverse employment action against them had occurred. Therefore, plaintiffs Reynolds, Minnott-Talley and Ramirez-Crane contend that the timely filing by Velez with the EEOC revives their stale claims, because Velez’s filing was based on the same pattern and practice of discrimination as that suffered by the plaintiffs. This is not so. The law is clear that the continuing violation doctrine tolls the statutory filing period only where some aspect of the discriminatory violation as to that plaintiff continued into the statutory filing period. “To establish that a claim falls within the continuing violations theory, the plaintiff ... must demonstrate that at least one act occurred within the filing period: ‘The crucial [sic] question is whether any present violation exists [as to that plaintiff].’ ” West, 45 F.3d at 754-55 (quoting United Air Lines v. Evans, 431 U.S. 553, 558, 97 S.Ct. 1885, 52 L.Ed.2d 571 (1977)(emphasis in original)). Thus, the rule cannot apply to a Title VII claim that became stale before the first EEOC charge was filed by another plaintiff, even if it involves the same type of discriminatory conduct by the defendant. See Miller v. Int’l Tel. & Tel. Corp., 755 F.2d 20, 25 (2d Cir.1985) (“[S]everal courts have held that an employee who has been discharged pursuant to a discriminatory policy may not take advantage of later discriminatory acts against other employees for the purpose of postponing the running of the statutory period as to him on a continuing violation theory.”); Hipp, 252 F.3d at 1221 (finding “no authority ... for allowing one plaintiff to revive a stale claim simply because the allegedly discriminatory policy still exists and is being enforced against others”); cf. Wetzel v. Liberty Mut. Ins. Co., 508 F.2d 239, 246 (3d Cir.1975) (“[Continuing violations of Title VII ... allow a filing of a charge at any time by a present employee.”). The rationale against allowing the revival of stale claims is sound. First, “[w]hen an employee is terminated, the employment relationship ends; and the fear of reprisal and the reasons for allowing employees to claim a continuing discriminatory policy are removed.” Hipp, 252 F.3d at 1222 n. 12 (quoting Gray v. Phillips Petroleum Co., 858 F.2d 610, 614 (10th Cir.1988)); Williams v. Owens-Illinois, Inc., 665 F.2d 918, 924 (9th Cir.1982)(“A refusal to hire or a decision to fire an employee may place the victim out of reach of any further effect of company policy, so that such a complainant must file a charge within the requisite period after the refusal to hire or termination, or be time-barred.”). Second, “if former employees were allowed to assert charges [outside the filing period], the purpose of the statute of limitations would be undermined and employers could be exposed to unlimited suits.” Hipp, 252 F.3d at 1222 n. 12. Thus, when an employee has left his company, “he must comply with the charge-filing period, and the continuing violation doctrine will no longer save a late claim.” Id. Because the sole purpose of the continuing violations doctrine is to allow an individual to rely on his own timely EEOC filing in order to introduce evidence of other discriminatory acts directed towards him outside the filing period, and not to permit that individual to salvage otherwise stale claims by reference to timely filings by others, the court concludes that Velez’s EEOC charge did not resurrect the stale claims of plaintiffs Reynolds, Minott-Tal-ley and Ramirez-Crane. b. Single filing rule Plaintiffs Reynolds, Minott-Talley and Ramirez-Crane also assert under the single filing rule that their claims are not time-barred based on the timely filed EEOC charge of plaintiffs Velez, Owens and Tucker. Under the single filing rule, “if one plaintiff has filed a timely EEOC complaint as to that plaintiffs individual claim, then co-plaintiffs with individual claims arising out of similar discriminatory treatment in the same time frame need not have satisfied the filing requirement.” Allen v. U.S. Steel Corp., 665 F.2d 689, 695 (5th Cir.1982). Similarly, a plaintiff may bring a class action on behalf of those who have not filed charges with the EEOC, and thus toll the statute of limitations for all members of the class. Wetzel, 508 F.2d at 246. While the complaints need not be identical, they must arise out of similar discriminatory treatment in the same time frame, provided that they give the employer adequate notice .and an opportunity for conciliation. Snell v, Suffolk County, 782 F.2d 1094, 1100 (2d Cir.1986). However, as one court of appeals has stated: That filing, it seems clear, however, cannot revive claims which are no longer viable at the time of the filing. Any other result would produce an anomaly. Time-barred members could not press their claims individually either before the Commission or judicial tribunals; and surely the employer’s liability to them cannot .be made to depend upon whether they come into court in a different character. True it is that class actions are liberally permitted in the federal courts, but that procedural device cannot be used to expand substantive rights.' Not surprisingly, then, courts which have considered the question directly have uniformly held that only those employees who could have filed charges with the Commission individually' when the class filing was made are properly members of the litigating class. Laffey v. Northwest Airlines, Inc., 567 F.2d 429, 472 (D.C.Cir.1976) (citing Wetzel, 508 F.2d 239) (footnotes omitted). The last possible date on which discrimination occurred towards plaintiffs Reynolds, Minott-Talley and Ramirez-Crane are the dates that they ceased working for defendant. These dates are November 12, 1993, February 28, 1995, and June 1, 1995, respectively. The first timely-fíled EEOC charge in this case was that of Victor Velez on December 11, 1997. The non-filing plaintiffs could not have filed a timely charge because by the time that Velez filed his claim, the statutory period during which Reynolds, Minott-Talley, and Ramirez-Crane were required to file their claims had expired. Thus, the single filing rule does not save plaintiffs Reynolds, Minott-Talley and Ramirez-Crane’s claims of discrimination under Title VII. Plaintiffs make the additional argument that Minott-Talley and Ramirez-Crane should be permitted to piggyback on the EEOC charge of non-plaintiff Chuck Fields who filed a charge on March 6,1995. Plaintiffs argue that because the Fields charge was filed at a time when Minott-Talley and Ramirez-Crane’s claims were still viable, and because the resulting lawsuit continued past December 11, 1997, when plaintiff Victor Velez filed his timely EEOC charge, Minott-Talley and Ramirez-Crane should be allowed to rely on Fields’ charge to cure the gap in time between the expiration of the 300 day statutory period during which they had to filed charges and the filing of the Velez charge. The court does not agree. In the Third Circuit, “piggybacking [under the single filing rule] has never been allowed when the subsequent action is not a class action.” Communications Workers of America v. N.J. Dep’t of Pets., 282 F.3d 213, 217 (3d Cir.2002); see also EEOC v. Air Line Pilots Ass’n, 885 F.Supp. 289, 294 (D.D.C.1995) (“[T]he single filing rule applies only where at least one plaintiff in a lawsuit filed a timely EEOC charge.”) (emphasis supplied); Banas v. American Airlines, 969 F.2d 477, 483 (7th Cir.1992) (“[An] ... EEOC charge can be relied upon by a plaintiff who did not actually file the charge but upon whose behalf the charge was filed.”) (emphasis supplied); Romasanta v. United Airlines, Inc., 537 F.2d 915, 918 (7th Cir.1976) (“[Class] members may rely on the champion of the class until he or she abdicates.”). Therefore, “outside the context of a representative or class action, ... an individual plaintiff must file a timely administrative charge.” Whalen v. W.R. Grace & Co., 56 F.3d 504, 505 (3d Cir. 1995). A contrary rule “would allow a would-be plaintiff who missed the statutory time limit for filing an EEOC charge to file an independent lawsuit by relying upon the timely charge of some other individual, even though the individual is not named in the lawsuit,” Air Line Pilots Ass’n, 885 F.Supp. at 293, and thus “circumvent the well-settled principle ‘that a party seeking relief under Title VII must file timely charges of employment discrimination with the EEOC before that party may seek judicial relief.’” Id. Since Fields’ claim was not a representative or a class action, MinotF-Talley and Ramirez-Crane may not piggyback on his complaint. c. Emotional distress Plaintiffs also argue that Reynolds, Minott-Talley and Ramirez-Crane suffer from post-traumatic stress disorders that disabled them from pursuing legal action as a consequence of their conditions. Under these circumstances, plaintiffs argue that the period for filing an EEOC charge as to these plaintiffs is equitably tolled for the entire time during which they suffered emotional distress. The court does not agree. “[TJhere is no absolute rule that would require tolling whenever there is mental disability. The federal courts ‘have taken a uniformly narrow view of equitable exceptions to Title VII limitations periods.’ ” Lopez v. Citibank, N.A., 808 F.2d 905, 906 (1st Cir.1987). “[Mjental illness tolls a statute of limitations only if the illness in fact prevents the sufferer from managing his affairs and thus from understanding his legal rights and acting upon them.” Miller v. Runyon, 77 F.3d 189, 191 (7th Cir.1996) (not allowing tolling because plaintiff attended university for two semesters during filing period). In this case, plaintiffs Reynolds, Minott-Talley, and Ramirez-Crane have not demonstrated that they were unable to manage their own affairs or understand their legal rights within the 300 days that each had to file an EEOC charge after experiencing an adverse employment action. Plaintiffs’ designated expert psychiatrist, Ari Kiev, M.D., submitted an affidavit reaching the conclusion that all six plaintiffs, including Reynolds, Minott-Tal-ley, and Ramirez^Crane, suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of their experiences at QVC. While this may be so, the conditions allegedly suffered by the plaintiffs do not equitably toll a statute of limitations where it is otherwise demonstrated that during the relevant time, such plaintiff was capable of managing his or her own affairs. Illustrative is Powell v. Independence Blue Cross, Inc., No. 95-2509, 1997 WL 137198 (E.D.Pa. Mar. 25, 1997), where the court found that the plaintiff had not demonstrated that he was unable to manage his own affairs, despite doctor’s testimony that the plaintiffs condition rendered him incapable of making a decision about how to proceed on his claim of discrimination, and despite the fact that the plaintiff had been a patient in a mental health outpatient day treatment program. Id. at *2-3, *5. In Powell, the court found that plaintiff discussed his legal rights with an attorney, cared for himself and his son, read and played computer games, and handled household accounts, id. at *6, and concluded that, “[ajssuming that mental incapacitation is an ‘extraordinary’ reason which would justify tolling a federal limitations period, plaintiff has not presented evidence sufficient to satisfy the test for such incapacitation recognized or employed by any court.” Id.; see also Speiser v. U.S. Dep’t of Health and Hum. Servs., 670 F.Supp. 380, 383-84 (D.D.C.1984) (despite doctor’s testimony about plaintiffs depression and hospitalizations, plaintiff did not submit sufficient evidence that she could not handle her affairs or comprehend her legal rights). In addition, the courts have not permitted tolling based on alleged mental incapacity where a plaintiff has consulted with or been represented by an attorney. See Hood v. Sears Roebuck and Co., 168 F.3d 231, 233 (5th Cir.1999) (plaintiffs retaining counsel during filing period demonstrates an ability to manage own affairs); Lopez, 808 F.2d at 907 (where plaintiff was represented by counsel during charge-filing period, no strong reason why plaintiff was unable to bring suit); Temparali v. Rubin, No. 96-5382, 1997 WL 361019, at *5 (E.D. Pa. June 19,1997) (plaintiff could not show inability to manage own affairs or pursue a legal claim where she consulted an attorney about paternity, custody and support issues). No plaintiff here has provided sufficient evidence to show that he or she could not manage his or her own affairs or comprehend his or her legal rights. Plaintiff Clarence Reynolds testified that he suffered from depression for an eight-month period of time following his resignation on November 23, 1993, the same date that his EEOC filing period began to run. During this period, despite the mental incapacity that he claims prevented him from filing a timely EEOC charge, Reynolds found employment as a disc jockey about a month after leaving QVC, and eight months after that became employed as a show host by Home Shopping Network, and later became executive producer of a joint venture between Home Shopping Network and Black Entertainment Television, where he remained for two years. Additionally, he sought no medical assistance from a physician or psychologist during the filing period. Similarly, plaintiff Minotb-Talley has not provided evidence that she was unable to manage her affairs or understand her legal rights. Minott-Talley testified that following her departure from QVC, she moved to New York in order to pursue a career in affiliate marketing, began working for a nonprofit organization, and over the course of the next few years, held a variety of jobs in New York City. In addition, while she did seek medical treatment for back pain she experienced after her termination by QVC, she sought no psychiatric or psychological treatment. Further, she consulted with her cousin, an attorney, on matters unrelated to her experiences at QVC. Plaintiff Ramirez-Crane has also failed to show that she was unable to manage her affairs or understand her legal rights. After Ramirez-Crane’s departure from QVC, she was re-employed on a temporary basis, spent five months as a permanent executive assistant, and within a year after she left QVC was employed by Global Shopping Network as an on-air host. Furthermore, she was enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Temple University during her QVC employment, and has remained enrolled until the present. In addition, approximately six months after her termination, she consulted a lawyer to discuss the issue of the non-compete clause in her QVC contract. Plaintiffs rely on Llewellyn v. Celanese Corp., 693 F.Supp. 369 (W.D.N.C.1988) in support of their emotional distress claims. There, as a result of over thirty acts of discrimination over three years, plaintiff suffered from severe anxiety and depression for which she was placed on various combinations and dosages of psychotropic medications; she also developed what appeared to be a seizure disorder. Id. at 375. As a result, the court found that: The combined effect of her depression and the medications rendered plaintiff unable to attend to everyday activities such as washing dishes, cleaning her home, and caring for her children. Her parents took her children to buy food. Her children cleaned the house. She spent most of her time sleeping. When she awoke she had trouble walking down the hall of her trailer to the kitchen. She experienced a lump in her throat, had difficulty eating, would frequently vomit what she had eaten, and had chronic diarrhea. Id. Plaintiffs have presented no evidence representing the type of incapacitation at issue in Llewellyn. Indeed, in stark contrast, each of the plaintiffs in the present case quickly obtained other employment and remained able to discuss issues concerning their affairs with attorneys. Thus, the court finds that all have failed to provide sufficient evidence to raise a genuine issue of material fact as to whether they were unable to manage their affairs or understand their legal rights or make decisions in matters of importance to such an extent to toll the statute of limitations. 2. Plaintiffs Reynolds, Minott-Talley and Ramirez-Crane’s Section 1981 claims Title 42 U.S.C. § 1981 does not set forth an express statute of limitations. To fill this void, the United States Supreme Court has directed courts to locate the “most appropriate or analogous state statute of limitations.” Goodman v. Lukens Steel, 482 U.S. 656, 660, 107 S.Ct. 2617, 96 L.Ed.2d 572 (1987). Specifically, the Court has held that the Pennsylvania two-year statute of limitations for personal injury applies to a § 1981 action relating to an employment discrimination claim in Pennsylvania. Id. at 661-62, 107 S.Ct. 2617. Although the continuing violation doctrine applies to § 1981 claims, and tolls the statute of limitations where a defendant has engaged in continued alleged discriminatory conduct, see Anjelino v. N.Y. Times Co., 200 F.3d 73, 97-98 (3d Cir.1999), for the same reasons stated in connection with plaintiffs’ Title YII claims, see supra, Part II.A.l.a., the doctrine is not applicable here either. Plaintiff Reynolds resigned from QVC on November 12, 1993; his § 1981 limitations period ended on November 12, 1995. Plaintiff Minott-Talley was terminated on February 28, 1995; her § 1981 limitations period ended on February 28,1997. Plaintiff Ramirez-Crane was terminated on June 1, 1995; her § 1981 limitations period ended on June 1, 1997. However, the original complaint filed in this action (on behalf of Victor Velez) was filed on August 28, 1998, after the statute of limitations had expired as to each of these three plaintiffs. Because the employment of these three plaintiffs ended more than two years prior to the filing of any complaint in this matter, the court finds that plaintiffs Reynolds, Minott-Tal-ley and Ramirez-Crane’s § 1981 claims are untimely. 3. Plaintiff Ramirez-Crane’s Equal Pay Act claim, In Count XII of the Fifth Amended Complaint, plaintiff Ramirez-Crane asserts a violation of the Equal Pay Act (“EPA”). Under the Equal Pay Act, a claim must be brought within two years after a violation or three years after an alleged willful violation. 29 U.S.C. § 255(a). Thus, in order to have filed a timely EPA claim, Ramirez-Crane was required to file her complaint, at the latest, within three years from the date that she alleges the last violation occurred. The continuing violation doctrine applies to Equal Pay Act claims, but only to the extent that plaintiff continued to be paid. See Miller v. Beneficial Mgmt. Corp., 977 F.2d 834, 843-44 (3d Cir.1992) (pay discrimination is a continuing violation while' plaintiff continues to receive paychecks). Therefore, any claim by Ramirez-Crane under the Equal Pay Act was required to be brought, at the latest, before June 1, 1998, three years after her termination from QVC or the date she received her last paycheck from QVC. No claims were filed on Crane’s behalf, and no EPA claim was asserted on behalf of any plaintiff until January 1999. Thus, the court finds that plaintiff Ramirez-Crane’s EPA claim is similarly time-barred. 4. Plaintiff Oivens’ Title VII sex discrimination claim Defendant argues that plaintiff Owens’ claim for sex discrimination in Counts I and V are barred because her EEOC charge did not include allegations of sex discrimination. When a complaint contains a claim not presented to the appropriate administrative agency, the Third Circuit requires courts to determine “whether the acts alleged in the subsequent Title VII suit are fairly within the scope of the prior EEOC complaint, or the investigation arising therefrom.” Antol v. Perry, 82 F.3d 1291, 1295 (3d Cir.1996). Plaintiff Owens was terminated on November 12, 1998 and filed a charge of race discrimination on December 22, 1998. However, on February 11, 1999, Owens filed an amended charge of discrimination with the EEOC, alleging sex discrimination. Since this amended charge was filed within the applicable 300 day period, Owens’ claims of sex discrimination survive. For the reasons set forth above, the court will grant defendant’s motion for summary judgment with respect to plaintiffs Reynolds, Minott-Talley and Ramirez-Crane as' time-barred, and deny the motion with respect to plaintiff Owens. B. Merits of Plaintiffs Velez, Owens and Tucker’s Claims The three remaining plaintiffs assert the following claims. Plaintiff Velez asserts claims under Title VII, 42 U.S.C. § 1981, Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, New York State Human Rights Act, and New York City Civil Rights Act, alleging (1) token hiring, (2) hostile work environment, (3) disparate treatment, (4) termination, and (5) retaliation. Plaintiff Owens asserts claims under Title VII, 42 U.S.C. § 1981, and Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, alleging (1) hostile work environment, (2) disparate treatment, (3) termination, and (4) retaliation. Plaintiff Tucker asserts claims under Title VII, Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, New York State Human Rights Act, and New York City Civil Rights Act, alleging (1) hostile work environment and (2) retaliation. Plaintiffs Owens and Tucker also assert claims under the Equal Pay Act, and plaintiff Tucker asserts a fraud claim arising from the renegotiating of her employment contract of April/May 1999. 1. Applicable standard of proof The United States Supreme Court has recognized three models for proving intentional discrimination: (1) direct evidence cases as described in Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Thurston, 469 U.S. 111, 121, 105 S.Ct. 613, 83 L.Ed.2d 523 (1985) and Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, 490 U.S. 228, 109 S.Ct. 1775, 104 L.Ed.2d 268 (1989); (2) indirect evidence cases based on an alleged pattern or practice of discrimination, as described in Int’l Bhd. of Teamsters v. United States, 431 U.S. 324, 97 S.Ct. 1843, 52 L.Ed.2d 396 (1977); and (3) indirect evidence cases based on the paradigm described in McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 (1973). The court concludes that only the McDonnell Douglas indirect evidence paradigm is available to plaintiffs. a. Direct evidence In direct evidence cases, the employee alleging discrimination must produce “direct evidence that decisionmakers placed substantial negative reliance on an illegitimate criterion in reaching their decision.” Price Waterhouse, 490 U.S. at 277, 109 S.Ct. 1775; Starceski v. Westinghouse Elec. Corp., 54 F.3d 1089, 1097 (3d Cir. 1995). If the employee does produce direct evidence of discriminatory animus, the employer must then produce evidence sufficient to show that it would have made the same decision if the illegal bias had played no role in the employment decision. Price Waterhouse, 490 U.S. at 244-45, 109 S.Ct. 1775; Starceski, 54 F.3d at 1096. In order to shift the burden, the plaintiff must produce evidence that is “so revealing of discriminatory animus that it is not necessary to rely upon any presumption from the prima facie case .... ” Armbruster v. Unisys Corp., 32 F.3d 768, 778 (3d Cir.1994). “Stray remarks in the workplace, statements by nondecisionmakers, or even statements by decisionmakers unrelated to the decisional process itself, do not constitute direct evidence of discrimination.” Fakete v. Aetna, Inc., 152 F.Supp.2d 722, 733 (E.D.Pa.2001) (citing Starceski, 54 F.3d at 1096); see also Keller v. Orix Credit Alliance, Inc., 130 F.3d 1101, 1111—12 (3d Cir.1997) (statement made by plaintiffs superior that “if you are getting too old for the job, maybe you should hire one or two young bankers” not direct evidence of age discrimination); Ezold v. Wolf, Block, Schorr & Solis-Cohen, 983 F.2d 509, 545 (3d Cir.1992) (“Stray remarks by non-decisionmakers or by decision-makers unrelated to the decision process are rarely given great weight, particularly if they were made temporally remote from the date of decision.”). Plaintiffs proffer as direct evidence of discriminatory employment practices the following alleged incidents. 1. A statement by Vice President of Television Sales, Jack Comstock, to host Lisa Mason about plaintiff Velez in which he stated, “Lisa, we did what we had to do to get a minority face on the air. You can understand that, can’t you? ... But he’s not earning $80,000 any more is he Lisa?” Plaintiffs Mem. Opp. Summ. J. at 97-98. 2. A statement by show host Dan Hughes at a host meeting: “[w]hy don’t we all paint our faces black and sue the company ... and make some money.” Plaintiffs allege that Comstock, who was presiding over the meeting, laughed at this comment and never condemned it. Furthermore, plaintiffs contend that QVO Vice President Rob Cadigan and QVC President Doug Briggs did nothing to investigate the situation when made aware of it. Id. at 98-99. 3. An alleged comment by Hughes to fellow host plaintiff Ramirez-Crane in which he asked, “what’s black and white and smells?—a Puerto Rican.” Id. at 99. 4. An alleged comment from Briggs, before he became QVC president, to minority show host Chuck Fields, after a meeting in which Briggs and Fields had a disagreement about product placement on the overnight shifts, and Briggs passed Fields in the hallway and muttered to Fields, “little nigger.” Id. 5. An alleged comment by Comstock; when seeing Fields with a hat on, “why are you wearing your hat that way, ■ I thought all you guys wore your hats backwards.” Id. at 100. Because two of these five statements were not made by decisionmakers and all five are unrelated to the decision making process implicated in this case, none of the comments are direct evidence of discrimination. Two of the comments were made by fellow host Dan Hughes who had no impact on any of plaintiffs’ salary, termination or hiring decisions. Two statements were allegedly made by Jack Com-stock, who supervises the show hosts. However, none of Comstock’s statements were made in the process of any employment decision. See Fakete, 152 F.Supp.2d 722, 734 (E.D.Pa.2001) (statement by plaintiffs supervisor that defendant’s management was looking for “younger single people who would work unlimited hours” not direct evidence of age discrimination because not related to process of a particular employment decision). Lastly, the plaintiffs have not shown that the statement by Briggs, even if he was a decision-maker at the time, impacted Field’s employment in any way, or was linked to any employment decision concerning any plaintiff in this case. See Eiland v. Trinity Hosp., 150 F.3d 747,. 749, 751 (7th Cir.1998) (doctor’s use of word “nigger,” and act of showing newspaper articles portraying African Americans in a negative way to the plaintiff not direct evidence of race discrimination but rather stray workplace remark); Clark v. Hess Trucking Co., 879 F.Supp. 524, 528, 530 (W.D.Pa.1995) (allegations that Vice President of Finance called plaintiff a “black nigger,” told him to shut his “black mouth up” and do what she told his “black ass to do” not direct evidence of race discrimination because no proof that statements were connected in any way to decision to fire plaintiff). Because plaintiffs have failed to produce direct evidence of discrimination, they may not proceed under the direct proof model. b. McDonnell Douglas Indirect Proof Model Plaintiffs may show the existence of intentional discrimination based on-indirect evidence under the burden-shifting paradigm established by the Supreme Court in McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 (1973). This three-part model is applicable to statutory claims of racial discrimination under Section 1981, Title VII, and the PHRA, when plaintiffs’ claims are not based on direct evidence of discrimination. The plaintiffs carry the initial burden of establishing a prima facie case of unlawful discrimination. Id. at 802, 93 S.Ct. 1817. This may be done by showing that plaintiff is: (1) a member of a protected class; (2) qualified for the position; (3) suffered an adverse employment action; and (4) nonmembers of the protected class were treated more favorably. See Ezold v. Wolf Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen, 983 F.2d 509, 522 (3d Cir.1992) (citing McDonnell Douglas, 411 U.s. at 802, 93 S.Ct. 1817). Once the plaintiff is able to show a pri-ma facie case, the employer has the burden to articulate some "legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for the employee's rejection." McDonnell Douglas, 411 U.S. at 802, 93 S.Ct. 1817. If the defendant states a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for the adverse employment action, the employer satisfies its burden of production and the presumption of discrimination drops off the case. St. Mary's Honor Ctr. v. Hicks, 509 U.S. 502, 507-08, 113 S.Ct. 2742, 125 L.Ed.2d 407 (1993). Plaintiff then must meet his burden of persuasion by proving that the defendant's proffered reason is not the true reason for its decision, but instead is merely a pretext for racial discrimination. See Fuentes v. Perskie, 32 F.3d 759, 764 (3d Cir.1994). To meet this burden of persuasion, the plaintiff must produce "evidence, direct or circumstantial, from which a factfinder could reasonably either (1) disbelieve the employer's articulated reasons; or (2) believe that an invidious discriminatory reason was more likely than not a motivating or determinative cause of the employer's actions." Id. "The ultimate burden of persuading the trier of fact that the defendant intentionally discriminated against the plaintiff remains at all times with the plaintiff." Tex. Dep't of Comty. Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 253, 101 S.Ct. 1089, 67 L.Ed.2d 207 (1981). The McDonnell Douglas paradigm is applicable to this case. 2. Title VII, Section 1981, and PHRA a. Token hiring Plaintiffs Velez and Owens maintain that the only reason that they were hired by defendant was to have minorities on the staff as show hosts-i.e., defendant discriminated against Velez and Owens by practicing "token" hiring. Under this theory, defendant hired plaintiffs as "minorities" with the intent to relegate them to less favorable conditions than non-minority employees and thereby preclude their career advancement. Defendant responds that the plaintiffs cannot meet their prima facie burden as to token hiring because the hiring of plaintiffs alone does not constitute an adverse employment action. Cf. Cline v. Bala Nursing & Ret. Ctr., Civ. A. No. 97-5262, 1998 WL 136524, at *3 (E.D,Pa. Mar. 19, 1998) ("[P]laintiff must show that she suffered an adverse employment action, whether in the form of a termination or lack of promotion or otherwise, because she was [a member of a protected class]."). The court agrees. The mere act of being hired as a "token" alone does not constitute an adverse employment action Plaintiffs also argue that their token hiring claims are a version of unlawful "channeling." "Channeling" arises in circumstances where members of a protected class are hired for lower-paying jobs with fewer opportunities for advancement than others outside the protected class. See, e.g., Carpenter v. Stephen F. Austin State Univ., 706 F.2d 608 (5th Cir.1983) (channeling claim arising out of initial placement of minorities and women at low paying clerical and custodial positions); Sandoval v. Saticoy Lemon Ass’n, 747 F.Supp. 1373 (C.D.Cal.1990) (channeling claim arising from classification of certain, lower paying jobs as “women’s jobs”). Plaintiffs state that defendant’s conduct in this case of hiring minorities and permanently “channeling” them into the overnight shifts constitutes “channeling after the fact.” Defendant argues that this is not a “channeling” case because minorities and non-minorities are hired for the same exact job—show hosts—and the only alleged channeling is the alleged placements on different shifts, the subject of plaintiffs’ disparate treatment claims. Furthermore, plaintiffs admit that this so-called “channeling” does not occur at the hiring stage, but rather after the expiration of the six-month probation period for all new hires. Thus, according to defendant, plaintiffs’ claims cannot be deemed to be a discriminatory hiring claim because the actions supporting the claims are alleged to have taken place after the completion of the six month training period and not at the time of hiring. The court agrees. Assuming that tokenism plus “channeling” racial minorities and women into particular low level positions constitute illegal employment discrimination, plaintiffs mis-characterize them claim in this case. The “channeling” or discriminatory job assignment of “token” minorities, as to which they complain, did not occur until six months after plaintiffs had been hired. Therefore, because plaintiffs cannot show an adverse employment action in connection with their hiring, plaintiffs failed to make out a prima facie case of discrimination in hiring. Rather, to the extent that plaintiffs’ token hiring and channeling claims are part and parcel of their disparate treatment claims, ie., at the time that the plaintiffs were hired, defendant intended that they would be slotted for the graveyard shift after six months of sham probation, evidence of tokenism and channeling may be asserted, if appropriate, to support those disparate treatment claims. b. Hostile work environment In order to prove a hostile work environment under Title VII, a plaintiff must show that: (1) he or she suffered intentional discrimination because of his or her membership in the protected class; (2) the discrimination was pervasive and regular; (3) the discrimination detrimentally affected the plaintiff; (4) the discrimination would have detrimentally affected a reasonable person of the same protected class in that- position; and, (5) the existence of respondeat superior liability. West v. Philadelphia Elec. Co., 45 F.3d 744, 753 (3d Cir.1995) (citing Andrews v. City of Philadelphia, 895 F.2d 1469, 1482 (3d Cir.1990)). For purposes of a hostile work environment within this framework, the discrimination complained of must be “pervasive and severe enough ‘to alter the conditions of [the victim’s] employment and create an abusive working environment.’ ” Saidu-Kamara v. Parkway Corp., 155 F.Supp.2d 436, 439 (E.D.Pa. 2001). (quoting Meritor Savings Bank FSB v. Vinson, 477 U.S. 57, 67, 106 S.Ct. 2399, 91 L.Ed.2d 49 (1986)). Defendant QVC contends that each plaintiff in this case has failed to establish, as a matter of law, that the discrimination complained of was pervasive and regular. In determining whether a plaintiff has made the requisite showing of hostile work environment, a court must consider the totality of the circumstances, including “the frequency of the discriminatory conduct; its severity; whether it is physically threatening or a mere offensive utterance; and whether it reasonably interferes with an employee’s work performance.” Harris v. Forklift Sys., Inc., 510 U.S. 17, 28, 114 S.Ct. 367, 126 L.Ed.2d 295 (1993). Thus, “allegations of isolated or single incidents of harassment do not constitute a cognizable hostile work environment claim.” Saidu-Kamara, 155 F.Supp.2d at 439 (citing Rush v. Scott Specialty Gases, Inc., 113 F.3d 476, 482 (3d Cir.1997)); see also Drinkwater v. Union Carbide Corp., 904 F.2d 853, 863 (3d Cir.1990) (“Hostile environment harassment claims must demonstrate a continuous period of harassment, and two comments do not create an atmosphere.”). At the same time, however, “[u]nder the ‘totality of circumstances’ approach, a ‘district court should not carve the work environment into a series of discrete incidents and then measure the harm according to each episode.’ ” Jackson v. Quanex Corp., 191 F.3d 647, 660 (6th Cir.1999). As the Third Circuit has colorfully described it, “[a] play cannot be understood on the basis of some of its scenes but only on its entire performance, and, similarly, a discrimination analysis must concentrate not on individual incidents, but on the overall scenario.” Andrews v. City of Philadelphia, 895 F.2d 1469, 1484 (3d Cir.1990). Disaggre-gating claims undercuts the totality of circumstances inquiry, because it “robs the incidents of their cumulative effect, and ‘[o]f course, when the complaints are broken into their component parts, each claim is more easily dismissed.’ ” Jackson, 191 F.3d at 660. Accordingly, “incidents involving employees other than [a] plaintiff are relevant in establishing a generally hostile work environment.” Hicks v. Gates Rubber Co., 833 F.2d 1406, 1416 (10th Cir.1987); see also West, 45 F.3d at 757 (“[E]vidence of harassment of other workers, because they were African American, was relevant to an examination of [plaintiffs] claims that he, too was harassed.”); Hall v. Gus Constr. Co., 842 F.2d 1010, 1014 (8th Cir.1988) (‘‘We ... reject [the] contention that the district court erroneously considered all of the [three female plaintiffs’] claims together in determining that the [sexual] harassment was sufficiently pervasive and severe to constitute a violation of Title VIL”). Indeed, as here, “[s]uch evidence could be critical to a plaintiffs case, for a claim of harassment cannot be established without a showing of more than isolated indicia of a discriminatory environment.” Vinson v. Taylor, 753 F.2d 141, 146 n. 40 (D.C.Cir.1985). That a plaintiff may rely upon incidents involving other employees to show the presence of a hostile work environment does not mean that the plaintiff can claim. to have been victimized by each discriminatory act ever perpetrated by the employer in the workplace. Rather, a plaintiff relying upon the employer’s past discriminatory1 conduct towards other employees must show that he or she was.aware of the incidents during his or her term of employment, and that, under the circumstances of the case, there is a nexus between the discrimination directed at him or her, and that directed at others. First, the plaintiff must show subjective awareness of the discrimination directed at others. The court must be able to assess whether the discrimination claimed, in fact, detrimentally affected the plaintiff. See Andrews, 895 F.2d at 1482; see also Schwapp v. Town of Avon, 118 F.3d 106, 111 (2d Cir.1997) (“[Plaintiffs] awareness that a supervisor ... told [other] officers to target minorities ... could very well be relevant to [plaintiffs] reasonable perception of a hostile work environment.”); Jones v. Flagship Int’l, 793 F.2d 714, 721 n. 7 (5th Cir.1986) (Evidence of sexually harassing incidents reported by other female employees “does not bear on [plaintiffs] individual claim of sexual harassment in the absence of evidence that such incidents affected [plaintiffs] psychological well-being”). The plaintiff, however, need not have witnessed the incidents involving other employees. Hearing about them, even second hand, is sufficient to make a plaintiff aware of the nature of the environment in which he works. See West, 45 F.3d at 757 (concluding that it was error to exclude evidence of plaintiffs employer’s harassment of other African Americans, not witnessed by the plaintiff, because such evidence was “relevant to an examination of [plaintiffs] claims that he, too, was harassed”); see also Schwapp, 118 F.3d at 111 (“[T]he fact that a plaintiff learns second-hand of a racially derogatory comment or joke by a fellow employee or supervisor also can impact the work environment”). Secondly, a plaintiff must show a nexus between the discrimination directed at him or her and that directed at others. The relevant inquiry is “[w]hether ... in light of ... incidents [directed at other employees], the incidents [that the plaintiff] experienced more directly ‘would reasonably be perceived and [were] perceived, as hostile or abusive....’”Schwapp, 118 F.3d at 112 (emphasizing that summary judgment may be inappropriate, because this inquiry involves factual issues best resolved by the trier of fact). Under this approach the court retains the flexibility to evaluate complex employment environments, like QVC, where ostensibly “different” types of discrimination may actually be inextricably linked. For example, an employer who discriminates against some on the basis of national origin, others on the basis of race, and a third group on the basis of gender, may really be discriminating against anyone who is not a white male. See Rauh v. Coyne, 744 F.Supp. 1181, 1183 (D.D.C. 1990). Therefore, under certain circumstances, considering the claims of all three groups as separate and distinct from each other would fail to yield a comprehensive picture of a common environment that might be hostile to members of different protected classes for equally impermissible reasons. In this case, Velez alleges that QVC discriminated against him on the basis of national origin, Owen alleges a combination of race and gender discrimination, and Tucker alleges gender discrimination only. All three claim that they were aware of the discrimination directed at each other and at other employees during their term of employment. The defendant contends that it is entitled to summary judgment in its favor, because, even assuming that the incidents complained of by plaintiffs are true, they do not, as a matter of law, constitute harassment severe and pervasive enough to rise to the level of hostile work environment. Thus, the issue before .the court is whether, under the circumstances of this case, defendant has demonstrated that it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law on plaintiffs’ hostile work environment claims. See Fed. R.Civ.P. 56(c). The court will analyze each claim seriatim. i. Nexus between different types of alleged discrimination at QVC As noted above, a plaintiff alleging hostile work environment bears the burden of proving that the alleged discrimination would detrimentally affect a reasonable person of the same protected class in that position that the alleged discrimination detrimentally affected him. See Andrews, 895 F.2d at 1482. The question is “[w]hether ... in light of ... incidents [directed at other employees as members of the same or other protected classes], the incidents [that the plaintiff] experienced more directly ‘would reasonably be perceived and [were] perceived, as hostile or abusive....’” Schwapp, 118 F.3d at 112. Whether an inference of discrimination is appropriate under the circumstances may depend on factors such as: (1) whether the discriminatory acts directed at others were undertaken by the same decisionmaker who is alleged to have discriminated against plaintiff, (2) whether the acts directed at plaintiff and those directed at other employees occurred in close temporal proximity, and (3) whether the type of discrimination complained of by plaintiff and that directed at other employees is similar in nature or kind. In other words, could a reasonable jury conclude that under the circumstances the discrimination of which the plaintiff complains is sufficiently similar in time, nature, and kind to that suffered by other employees to disclose the perpetrator’s signature. In this case, the court concludes that a trier of fact could so find as to these plaintiffs. See Schwapp, 118 F.3d at 112 (whether incidents relating to other minorities occurring during plaintiffs tenure were reasonably perceived as hostile or abusive should be resolved by trier of fact). One, most of the allegations emanate from conduct by a common alleged perpetrator and decisionmaker, Jack Com-stock. Two, the incidents complained of by each plaintiff and those directed at co-plaintiffs and other employees occurred during roughly the same time during which all plaintiffs were employed by defendant. Three, most of the incidents complained of involve Comstock’s common practice of belittling or bullying employee targets. While the nature and kind of the alleged offensive conduct varied in- degree from incident to incident and from employee to employee, the court concludes that a jury could find that the type of discrimination aimed at all of these plaintiffs and at other employees shares in common the sting of humiliation. Accordingly, each plaintiff shall be permitted to rely upon incidents aimed at co-plaintiffs and other employees that share these three common characteristics, and that involve other employees in showing the existence of a hostile work environment. ii. Plaintiff Velez’s hostile work environment claim Velez’s claim consists of the following incidents that were directed at him and allegedly occurred over a seventeen month period: (1) a comment made by another show host in Velez’s presence to the effect that all Hispanies eat tacos or enchiladas “or something to that effect”; (2) Velez’s assignment to assist on a project about products being sold in Mexico because he was the only person that spoke Spanish; (3)QVC’s lightening of Velez’s publicity photograph in a way that made Velez appear white. Additionally, to show that he was subjectively aware of discriminatory incidents directed at other employees, of whom some were minorities and some were women, during his year and a half at QVC, Velez offers this additional evidence: (1) Velez was aware that “minority hosts [including Dave King, Leah Williams and fellow plaintiff Gwen Owens] were also predominantly staying with that [overnight] time frame” and that that Owens was assigned “[ajlmost exclusively” to overnights. (2) Velez pointed out conversations that he had with Owens, Williams and King where the four discussed the fact that QVC had apparently lightened their publicity photographs so that all appeared to be white; Velez testified that everyone, including Owens appeared to be “about the same [lighter] color.” (3) Velez testified that female hosts Owens, Tucker and Lisa Mason told him about being bullied by Comstock. (4) Velez testified that he recalled Com-stock’s demeaning and ridiculing Owens, that he saw her close to tears. (5) Velez testified that female host Lisa Mason told him that Comstock had been “somewhat belligerent with her ... that he attempted on occasion to exert his authority by raising his voice.” Thus, Velez’s claim of discrimination on the basis of national origin appears to show three incidents that he personally experienced, and awareness of at very least nine other incidents of a similar kind and nature directed at five other minority and female employees during the year and a half that he worked at QVC. Viewing the totality of circumstances, the court finds that plaintiff Velez has produced sufficient evidence, which, if believed by a jury, would show that defendant’s conduct was pervasive and regular. iii. Plaintiff Owens’ hostile work environment claim Owens asserts that the work environment at QVC was “uncomfortable,” including “nitpicking and critiquing” and intimidation of show hosts. She maintains that during review meetings with Jack Comstock, QVC's Vice-Président, she was critiqued in a manner that would bring her to tears. Standing alone, these allegations are not severe enough to make out a hostile work environment claim. See Preston v. Bell Atl. Network Servs., Inc.,. No. 96-3107, 1997 WL 20853, at *7-8 (E.D.Pa. Jan. 16, 1997) (statements that plaintiff was a “black son-of-a-bitch,” that “there are a couple more [blacks] in here I would like to shoot,” and “black day in Bedrock” not severe enough to create a workplace “permeated with discriminatory intent, ridicule, and insult”) (citations and quotations omitted). However, Owens also asserts that she was aware of the following incidents directed at women and other minorities: (1) Owens testified that two other female hosts had contentious meetings and encounters with Jack Comstock. (2) Owens testified that host Mary Beth Roe told her that Roe was being harassed over not wanting to travel, and “led [Owens] to believe that she was harassed and intimidated to the point that she was sick over it” by giving Owens examples of her experiences with Comstock. (3) Owens testified that African American host Renee Ellison, ultimately terminated by QVC, was told not to wear her hair “slicked back” because “it looked too ethnic” and was trained by a QVC employee with no television on-air experience. (4) Owens testified that she knew QVC’s negative treatment of minorities Renee Ellison, Velez, Ramirez-Crane, and Mi-nott-Talley. Although, as noted above, the incidents that Owens experienced personally, standing alone, would not make out a hostile work environment claim, in this case she has introduced sufficient evidence of subjective awareness of at least eight other incidents of alleged discrimination involving eight other minorities and women during her employment at QVC. Viewing the totality of circumstances, the court finds that plaintiff Owens has produced sufficient evidence, which, if believed by a jury, would show that the defendant’s conduct was pervasive and regular. iv. Plaintiff Tucker’s hostile work environment claim Tucker alleges the following incidents spread over the course of the four years that she worked at QVC: (1) that Com-stock called her at home to harass her about her failure to sign her contract renewal for May 1999 which reduced her salary, (2) that when she finally signed the amendment reducing her salary, Com-stock seemed to relish in his victory, (3) that on a different occasion, after a meeting betwee