A newly signed law authored by Democrat Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz will make it easier for New Yorkers to pursue claims of discrimination in court.
The new law, which was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, on Nov. 3, expands the courts’ ability to award attorney’s fees and expert witness fees when a plaintiff sues over discrimination. The new law goes into effect 90 days after Nov. 3, which will be Feb. 1, 2022.
The legislation brings a welcome change to New Yorkers who often faced uphill battles when attempting to seek justice in cases of discrimination, particularly employment discrimination — which represent the majority of all discrimination cases filed in New York. Previous law only allowed the award of attorney’s fees in cases of housing discrimination and did not allow for the award of expert witness fees. Both attorney’s fees and expert witness fees are often a major obstacle for New Yorkers who have faced discrimination to pursue their claims, and prior statute was inconsistent with federal law as well as the law in many other states.
