Senate Bill S52A

Signed By Governor
2019-2020 Legislative Session

Requires awarding of costs and attorney fees in frivolous action involving public petition and participation

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Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status Via A5991 - Signed by Governor


  • 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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Bill Amendments

2019-S52 - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A5991
Law Section:
Civil Rights Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §§70-a & 76-a, Civ Rts L; amd R3211, CPLR
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2011-2012: A10594
2013-2014: S7280, A856
2015-2016: S1638, A258
2017-2018: S68, S2183, A1413, A5292

2019-S52 - Summary

Requires awarding of costs and attorney fees in frivolous actions involving public petition and participation; expands application of actions involving public petition and participation.

2019-S52 - Sponsor Memo

2019-S52 - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    52
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 9, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. HOYLMAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes
 
 AN ACT to amend the civil rights law, in relation to  actions  involving
   public petition and participation

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 70-a of the civil
 rights law, as added by chapter 767 of the laws of 1992, is  amended  to
 read as follows:
   (a)  costs  and attorney's fees [may] SHALL be recovered upon a demon-
 stration, INCLUDING AN ADJUDICATION PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION (G) OF  RULE
 THIRTY-TWO  HUNDRED ELEVEN OR SUBDIVISION (H) OF RULE THIRTY-TWO HUNDRED
 TWELVE OF THE CIVIL PRACTICE LAW AND RULES, that  the  action  involving
 public  petition  and participation was commenced or continued without a
 substantial basis in fact and law  and  could  not  be  supported  by  a
 substantial  argument  for  the  extension,  modification or reversal of
 existing law;
   § 2. Subdivision 1 of section 76-a of the civil rights law,  as  added
 by chapter 767 of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as follows:
   1. For purposes of this section:
   (a)  An  "action  involving  public petition and participation" is [an
 action,] A claim[, cross claim  or  counterclaim  for  damages  that  is
 brought by a public applicant or permittee, and is materially related to
 any  efforts  of  the defendant to report on, comment on, rule on, chal-
 lenge or oppose such application or permission] BASED UPON:
   (1) ANY COMMUNICATION IN A PLACE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC OR A PUBLIC  FORUM
 IN CONNECTION WITH AN ISSUE OF PUBLIC CONCERN; OR
   (2)  ANY  OTHER  LAWFUL  CONDUCT IN FURTHERANCE OF THE EXERCISE OF THE
 CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT OF FREE SPEECH  IN  CONNECTION  WITH  AN  ISSUE  OF
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

co-Sponsors

2019-S52A (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A5991
Law Section:
Civil Rights Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §§70-a & 76-a, Civ Rts L; amd R3211, CPLR
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2011-2012: A10594
2013-2014: S7280, A856
2015-2016: S1638, A258
2017-2018: S68, S2183, A1413, A5292

2019-S52A (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires awarding of costs and attorney fees in frivolous actions involving public petition and participation; expands application of actions involving public petition and participation.

2019-S52A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S52A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   52--A
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 9, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. HOYLMAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes  --  recommitted  to
   the  Committee  on  Codes  in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 --
   committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as  amended  and
   recommitted to said committee
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the civil rights law, in relation to actions involving
   public petition and participation; and to amend the civil practice law
   and rules, in relation to stay of proceedings
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 70-a of the civil
 rights  law,  as added by chapter 767 of the laws of 1992, is amended to
 read as follows:
   (a) costs and attorney's fees [may] SHALL be recovered upon  a  demon-
 stration,  INCLUDING AN ADJUDICATION PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION (G) OF RULE
 THIRTY-TWO HUNDRED ELEVEN OR SUBDIVISION (H) OF RULE THIRTY-TWO  HUNDRED
 TWELVE  OF  THE  CIVIL PRACTICE LAW AND RULES, that the action involving
 public petition and participation was commenced or continued  without  a
 substantial  basis  in  fact  and  law  and  could not be supported by a
 substantial argument for the  extension,  modification  or  reversal  of
 existing law;
   §  2.  Subdivision 1 of section 76-a of the civil rights law, as added
 by chapter 767 of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as follows:
   1. For purposes of this section:
   (a) An "action involving public petition  and  participation"  is  [an
 action,]  A  claim[,  cross  claim  or  counterclaim for damages that is
 brought by a public applicant or permittee, and is materially related to
 any efforts of the defendant to report on, comment on,  rule  on,  chal-
 lenge or oppose such application or permission] BASED UPON:
   (1)  ANY COMMUNICATION IN A PLACE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC OR A PUBLIC FORUM
 IN CONNECTION WITH AN ISSUE OF PUBLIC INTEREST; OR
   (2) ANY OTHER LAWFUL CONDUCT IN FURTHERANCE OF  THE  EXERCISE  OF  THE
              

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