As we previously reported, New York State significantly amended its antidiscrimination laws, with many of the changes effective as of October 11, 2019. The state issued updated FAQ guidance regarding these new requirements on...more
11/6/2019
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Foreign Language ,
Harassment ,
National Origin ,
New Guidance ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Notice Requirements ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
As we previously reported, the New York State Senate and Assembly passed an omnibus bill that overhauls New York’s antidiscrimination laws and uproot precedent upon which employers have relied for decades in defending...more
8/14/2019
/ Arbitration ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Harassment ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
NYCHRL ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
On the last day of the 2019–2020 legislative session, the New York State Senate and Assembly passed an omnibus bill. This legislation, once effective, will overhaul New York’s anti-discrimination laws and uproot precedent...more
6/26/2019
/ Affirmative Defenses ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Arbitration ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Faragher/Ellerth defense ,
Human Rights Act ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Pending Legislation ,
Punitive Damages ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
Title VII
On February 19, 2019, the New York City Commission on Human Rights (NYCCHR) issued a sweeping and detailed legal enforcement guidance outlining new protections for New Yorkers who maintain “natural hair or hairstyles most...more
Westchester County, New York, which is located on the outskirts of the New York City metropolitan area, has enacted a ban-the-box law that places limits on an employer’s ability to make preemployment inquiries into and...more
As we previously reported, New York State and New York City has passed sweeping laws aimed at combating sexual harassment in the workplace last year. While many requirements of these laws already went into effect in 2018, the...more
1/17/2019
/ Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Commission on Human Rights ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Local Ordinance ,
New Legislation ,
Notice Requirements ,
NYCHRL ,
Posting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
Effective October 9, 2018, New York State requires all employers to (i) establish a sexual harassment prevention policy and (ii) provide all employees with annual sexual harassment prevention training that must initially be...more
As we previously reported here, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recently enacted an aggressive anti-sexual harassment law with stringent requirements for employers’ anti-harassment policies and training. A key component of the...more
As we previously reported, New York State and New York City each recently passed aggressive laws to combat sexual harassment in the workplace. On August 23, 2018, the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) released...more
8/30/2018
/ Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Policies ,
New Guidance ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
NYCHRL ,
Risk Management ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recently signed into law the 2018–2019 New York State budget, which includes components aimed at combating sexual harassment in the workplace that impose significant new obligations on private...more
5/11/2018
/ Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Governor Cuomo ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Notice Requirements ,
NYCHRL ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets
In Chauca v. Abraham, No. 113 (November 20, 2017), the New York State Court of Appeals clarified the standard for awarding punitive damages under the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL). Unlike Title VII of the Civil...more
On November 10, 2017, the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) released draft regulations that would amend the rules for scheduling employees covered by the Minimum Wage Order for Miscellaneous Industries and...more
In Vasquez v. Empress Ambulance Service, Inc., No. 15-3239-cv (August 29, 2016), the Second Circuit Court of Appeals set new precedent when it held that an employer may be held liable for the retaliatory intent of a...more
On April 4, 2016, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation to phase in an increased minimum wage and guarantee paid family leave to all eligible employees throughout New York State. The legislation was part of the...more
As we previously reported, New York City’s Fair Chance Act (FCA) went into effect on October 27, 2015. On November 5, 2015, the New York City Commission on Human Rights (NYCCHR or Commission) issued long-anticipated guidance...more
11/13/2015
/ Conditional Offers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Damages ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Exemptions ,
Fair Chance Act ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Rights ,
Job Applicants ,
Job Descriptions ,
Job Offers
As we previously reported in July and June, New York City recently passed the Fair Chance Act (FCA), which becomes effective on Tuesday, October 27, 2015, and is applicable to criminal background checks.
Among other...more
As we previously reported, New York City recently passed a law prohibiting employers from requesting or using an individual’s credit history in making employment decisions. On September 3, 2015—the same day that the new law...more
As we previously reported, the New York City Council recently passed the Fair Chance Act (Intro No. 318-A, 2014) that—among other requirements—prevents employers from inquiring about job applicants’ criminal arrests and...more
Effective November 18, 2014, the City of Rochester, New York will join various states and municipalities around the country—including Buffalo, New York—that prohibit employers from inquiring about a job applicant’s prior...more
During the flurry of activity in Albany prior to lawmakers’ summer hiatus, the New York State legislature approved a bill that will eliminate the onerous requirement of providing annual wage notices to all employees. As New...more