On March 16, 2022, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation aimed at protecting employees from sexual harassment and other forms of employment discrimination. The amendments modify the New York Human Rights Law, which serves as the primary source of New York worker discrimination laws. Some provisions took effect immediately (if not sooner!). A requirement for a new hotline will take effect later this year.
One amendment “clarifies” the definition of “employer” under the Human Rights Law. The pre-existing definition was simply and broadly defined to include “all employers within the state.”
In some cases, courts have concluded that this wording did not sufficiently extend the Human Rights Law’s protections to the staff of elected officials or attorneys working for state judges. Accordingly, the law now expressly states that “the state of New York shall be considered an employer of any employee or official, including any elected official, of the New York state executive, legislature, or judiciary, including persons serving in any judicial capacity, and persons serving on the staff of any elected official in New York state.”
The amendment similarly addresses local government entities. It provides that “a city, county, town, village or other political subdivision of the state of New York shall be considered an employer of any employee or official, including any elected official, of such locality’s executive, legislature or judiciary,...
A person in his 30s who demanded compensation for alleged foreign substances in cup noodles and the absence of meat in stir-fried pork was sentenced to prison in both the first trial and the appel...