By: Daniel I. Small, Howard M. Wexler, and Robert S. Whitman
The most wonderful time of the year often portends many legal hiccups for the unassuming business. And this year is no different. As the holiday season approaches and we turn the calendar to 2025, New York employers should pay attention to several legal and regulatory changes taking
Continue Reading 2025 Employment Law Updates for New York Employers
By: John W. Egan, Ashley S. Jenkins, Ingrid C. Manevitz, and Kristin Pendergrass
Seyfarth Synopsis: Co-op and condo boards have a legal obligation to provide reasonable accommodations to residents with disabilities. Residents often request permission to live with their so-called emotional support or therapy animals (“ESAs”) in buildings that prohibit or restrict pets.
In addressing ESA requests
Continue Reading “Polly Want A Windfall?”: U.S. Department of Justice Slams NYC Co-Op for Denying Three Emotional Support Parrots, Imposing $165,000 in Damages
By Bernard Olshansky and Patrick D. Joyce
Seyfarth Synopsis: Expanding a law enacted in 2022, New York’s legislature passed another bill that seeks to limit warehouse-related injuries by requiring employers to establish and implement an injury reduction program, evaluate certain jobs for ergonomic injury risks, correct risk factors, and provide injury reduction training.
Background: New York State’s Commitment to Warehouse
Continue Reading New Bill Seeks to Provide New York State Warehouse Workers with Additional Injury Protections
By Bernard Olshansky and Patrick D. Joyce
Seyfarth Synopsis: A new bill passed by the New York State legislature, and awaiting the Governor’s signature, would mandate that retail employers install panic buttons in the workplace, establish a “workplace violence prevention policy,” and provide workplace violence training to covered employees.
Addressing concerns about the threat of workplace violence, the two
Continue Reading New York Bill Would Provide Protections Against Workplace Violence for Retail Employees
By Stanley E. Bloch and Ryan P. Boylan
Seyfarth Synopsis: On December 22, 2023 the State of New York adopted the New York LLC Transparency Act (as amended to date, the “NY LLCTA”). The NY LLCTA in many respects follows the federal Corporate Transparency Act (together with any regulations promulgated thereunder, the “CTA”). However, one material
Continue Reading New York LLC Transparency Act: What You Need to Know
By Rob Whitman, Elliot Fink, and Paxton Moore
Seyfarth Synopsis: New York’s highest court, settling a long-standing question dividing state and federal courts, has held that the New York State and City anti-discrimination statutes apply to non-residents who apply for jobs that would be based physically in the State or City.
In the opinion, the court
Continue Reading NY Anti-Discrimination Laws Now Protect Non-Resident Job Applicants
By Lotus Cannon and Minh Vu
Seyfarth Synopsis: SDNY Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil dismisses with prejudice a website accessibility lawsuit with vague allegations about plaintiffs’ standing.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) has been a highly favored venue for serial plaintiffs bringing website accessibility lawsuits for years – at least in part because
Continue Reading SDNY Judge Gets Tough on Serial Website Plaintiffs
By Robert S. Whitman and Victoria Vitarelli
Seyfarth Synopsis: A legislative proposal by the Governor, and a new appellate court decision, may have significant ramifications for weekly pay litigation in New York state and federal courts.
For nearly five years, New York employers have been bedeviled by class action claims for violation of the New York Labor Law’s weekly-pay requirement
Continue Reading New York Weekly Pay Update: Governor and Appellate Court Seek to Scale Back Litigation
By Nicolas A. Lussier and Nicholas H. De Baun
Seyfarth Synopsis: Effective November 26, 2023, a significant amendment to New York City’s Human Rights Law (NYCHRL) prohibits discrimination based on height and weight. This development aligns the city with a growing trend of jurisdictions, including Michigan and cities of Binghamton, New York; Madison, Wisconsin; and San Francisco, California, focusedon combating
Continue Reading Understanding New York City’s Height and Weight Discrimination Law: Essential Insights for Employers
By Marcus Mintz, Jeremy Cohen, and James Yu
On November 30, 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul answered the long-awaited question of whether New York would join California, North Dakota, Oklahoma and, most recently Minnesota, as a state banning the use of non-compete agreements between employers and employees. While New York legislators passed a bill to do just that
Continue Reading New York Governor Hochul Rejects Wholesale Ban on Non-Compete Agreements