New York - Human Rights Law

On December 19, 2025, Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation (Senate Bill S8338) that amended the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL) to expressly recognize disparate impact as a basis for employment discrimination claims. Under the amended NYSHRL, a discriminatory practice may be established

NY and NJ strengthen disparate impact protections, creating new compliance challenges as federal policy retreats, Chris Maugans explains.

New York City Commission on Human Rights 2025 Annual Report Reveals Operational Priorities The New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL) is one of the broadest and most comprehensive civil rights laws in the world. The NYCHRL prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations a

Scott Green was quoted in a Law360 article discussing the potential impact of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s campaign pledge to increase funding for the NYC Commission on Human Rights.

In Hunter v. Debmar-Mercury , the Second Circuit clarified the scope of marital status discrimination under the New York City Human Rights Law

On November 6, 2024, New Yorkers across the state voted “yes” on the Equal Rights Amendment, commonly known as Proposition 1 . The newly passed Equal Rights Amendment expands New Yorkers’ constitutional civil rights and codifies protections against discrimination in the state constitution.

A New York state judge has denied motions to dismiss actor Julia Ormond's claims against a film company, its parent company, and a talent agency based on conduct by film producer Harvey Weinstein, who Ormond alleges assaulted her in December 1995 in her Manhattan apartment. In her lawsuit, Ormond al

Effective June 19, 2024, New York employers will be required to provide up to 30 minutes of paid lactation breaks to employees each time an employee has a reasonable need to express breast milk at work. This change to New York Labor Law Section 206-c is set forth in Bill

Landlords, property managers, realtors and others in residential real estate strive to avoid inadvertently discriminating against individuals renting or leasing residential properties. Despite best intentions, discrimination can occur against protected classes covered under the New York State Human

On November 17, 2023, the New York governor signed into law S4516, which amends Section 5-336 of the New York General Obligations Law to restrict certain terms from being included in release agreements involving claims of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. The amendments went into effect im

Second Circuit holds that “factor other than sex” affirmative defense to Equal Pay Act claim does not need to be job-related. New York Labor Law § 194(1)’s “ bona fide factor other than status within one or more protected class or classes” defense does require

In a recent legal development, a New York State Supreme Court ruled that the source-of-income anti-discrimination statute within the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL) is unconstitutional, citing a violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

On June 7, 2023, a law providing expanded protections for breastfeeding employees in New York took effect. The law applies to all public and private employers in the state, regardless of size.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has signed legislation amending the New York City Human Rights Law to prohibit discrimination based on a person’s height or weight in employment, housing, and public accommodations. The new law will become effective on November 22, 2023.

On May 26, 2023, New York City enacted an ordinance amending the New York City Human Rights Law to ban employment discrimination on the basis of a person’s height and weight.1 This new ordinance further expands the comprehensive list of characteristics already protected by the New York City Human Ri

New York has released an updated model sexual harassment prevention policy and updated model training materials.

In accordance with its quadrennial obligation to evaluate the impact of New York State’s Model Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy in the workplace, on January 12, 2023, the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL), in consultation with the New York State Division of Human Rights, published a pro

On July 19, 2022, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the launch of a statewide confidential hotline for complaints of workplace sexual harassment. The hotline was provided under Senate Bill No. S812B, which Governor Hochul signed into law on March 16, 2022, as part of a legislative package ena

Earlier this year, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law S.812B/A.2035B , which amended the New York State Human Rights Law, N.Y. Exec. Law § 296, to require the establishment of a state-wide, toll-free, confidential hotline for complaints of workplace sexual harassment. On July 19, 2022, Governor H

Seeking to address several open issues in New York’s sexual harassment laws, Governor Hochul has signed a package of legislation strengthening the state’s antiharassment initiative. The legislation consists of three separate bills, two of which are relevant for private employers: S.812B/A.2035B – Co