Senate Bill S2782

2017-2018 Legislative Session

Permits awarding of reasonable attorneys' fees, costs and exemplary damages in court actions for unlawful discriminatory practices pursuant to the human rights law

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Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Investigations And Government Operations Committee


  • Introduced
    • In Committee Assembly
    • In Committee Senate
    • On Floor Calendar Assembly
    • On Floor Calendar Senate
    • Passed Assembly
    • Passed Senate
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed By Governor

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2017-S2782 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A1113
Current Committee:
Senate Investigations And Government Operations
Law Section:
Executive Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §297, Exec L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2009-2010: A635
2011-2012: A1284
2013-2014: S4372, A642
2015-2016: S758, A113
2019-2020: A2624
2021-2022: A3204
2023-2024: A2182

2017-S2782 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Permits awarding of reasonable attorneys' fees and costs and exemplary damages in court actions for unlawful discriminatory practices pursuant to the human rights law; provides incentive to the employer not to discriminate against the employee knowing there will be financial repercussions for their actions.

2017-S2782 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2017-S2782 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2782
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 17, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. KENNEDY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern-
   ment Operations
 
 AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation  to  awarding  attorneys'
   fees  and  costs  and  exemplary  damages  in an action brought for an
   unlawful discriminatory practice

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivision  9  of  section  297 of the executive law, as
 amended by section 16 of part D of chapter 405 of the laws of  1999,  is
 amended to read as follows:
   9.  Any  person claiming to be aggrieved by an unlawful discriminatory
 practice shall have a cause of action in any court of appropriate juris-
 diction for damages, including, in cases of housing discrimination only,
 punitive damages, and UPON PREVAILING, SHALL RECOVER  REASONABLE  ATTOR-
 NEYS'  FEES  AND  COSTS  IN THE ACTION. IN ADDITION THERETO THE TRIER OF
 FACT MAY AWARD EXEMPLARY DAMAGES AND  such  other  remedies  as  may  be
 appropriate,  including any civil fines and penalties provided in subdi-
 vision four of this section, unless such person had  filed  a  complaint
 hereunder  or  with  any  local  commission on human rights, or with the
 superintendent pursuant to the provisions of section two  hundred  nine-
 ty-six-a  of  this  chapter,  provided  that,  where  the  division  has
 dismissed such complaint on the grounds of  administrative  convenience,
 on  the  grounds of untimeliness, or on the grounds that the election of
 remedies is annulled, such person shall maintain  all  rights  to  bring
 suit  as  if  no complaint had been filed with the division. At any time
 prior to a hearing before  a  hearing  examiner,  a  person  who  has  a
 complaint  pending at the division may request that the division dismiss
 the complaint and annul his or her election  of  remedies  so  that  the
 human  rights  law  claim may be pursued in court, and the division may,
 upon such request, dismiss  the  complaint  on  the  grounds  that  such
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

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