Workplace discrimination. Housing discrimination. Public-accommodation discrimination. NYC has the strongest anti-discrimination protections in the country — NYC law is construed more broadly than federal law, covers more categories, and reaches more conduct. We use it.
Madison Law Firm PLLC · 579 5th Ave, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10017
Termination notice, denial letter, written warnings, performance reviews, the comparators who were treated differently. Emails, texts, Slack messages. We move on preservation while the evidence is still in the system.
EEOC charge (federal, 180-300 day deadline). State human-rights agency complaint. NYC Commission on Human Rights complaint. Or direct to court. Each forum has different deadlines, different procedural rules, and different damages caps. We pick the right one for your case.
EEOC and SDHR complaints often settle through pre-determination mediation. NYC law cases that proceed to litigation can recover uncapped compensatory damages, punitive damages, and attorney's fees. We pursue what your case is actually worth.
NYC law protects more categories and reaches more conduct than federal law / ADA. The NYC City Council has been deliberate about this; NY courts construe NYC law broadly.
NYC's Human Rights Law mandates that NYC law be construed "liberally for the accomplishment of the uniquely broad and remedial purposes thereof." NYC law covers more protected categories than federal law, applies a lower burden of proof, allows uncapped compensatory and punitive damages, and mandates attorney's-fees recovery on prevailing plaintiff claims.
EEOC charge: 300 days from the adverse action in NY. State human-rights agency (SDHR): 3 years for sexual harassment, 1 year for other claims (or 3 years if filed directly in NY State Supreme Court under New York law post-2019 amendment). NYC Commission on Human Rights: 1 year from the act. NYC law direct civil action: 3 years. Calling early matters — federal-court timelines are short.
NYC law and the ADA both require employers, housing providers, and public accommodations to provide reasonable accommodation for disability — unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship. NYC's standard is more demanding than the federal ADA standard. We document the accommodation request and the refusal carefully.
Even if the underlying discrimination claim doesn't prevail, an adverse action taken AGAINST you for COMPLAINING about discrimination is a separately actionable retaliation claim under every applicable statute. Retaliation cases are often easier to win than the underlying discrimination claim.
NYC's Human Rights Law mandates attorney's-fees recovery for prevailing plaintiffs. federal law, the ADA, FHA, and New York law all have similar fee-shifting provisions. That changes the economic dynamic of these cases — you can pursue a meritorious claim without out-of-pocket cost.
24/7 free confidential consultation. No fee unless we win. Your immigration status does not matter.