New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed into law amendments to the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL) that expand protections for employees who are victims of domestic violence.  The amendments will take effect on November 18, 2019.

While the NYSHRL has long prohibited discrimination against victims of domestic violence, the amendments expressly state that the following are unlawful practices with respect to victims of domestic violence: (i) refusing to hire or terminating someone because they are a victim of domestic violence; (ii) discriminating against a victim of domestic violence with respect to compensation or other terms, conditions, or privileges of employment; and (iii) circulating or utilizing a job posting, employment application, or other publication expressing any limitation, specification, or discrimination in hiring or employment based on domestic violence victim status.  The new law also amends the definition of “victim of domestic violence” under the NYSHRL to align it with the definition under the state’s Domestic Violence Prevention Act.

In addition, New York State employers will now be required to grant employees who are victims of domestic violence reasonable time off as an accommodation in order to:

  • seek medical attention for injuries caused by domestic violence;
  • obtain services from a domestic violence shelter, program, or rape crisis center or obtain psychological counseling;
  • participate in safety planning or to take other actions to increase safety from future incidents of domestic violence; and/or
  • obtain legal services, assist in the prosecution of the offense, or appear in court in relation to the incident of domestic violence.

It is noted that employers covered by the New York City Human Rights Law are already obligated to provide reasonable accommodations to employees who are the victim of domestic violence, sex offenses, or stalking.

As is the case with other reasonable accommodation obligations under the NYSHRL (such as for an employee’s disability), employers will be required to provide any requested leave unless the employee’s absence would constitute an undue hardship on the business.  Employers may charge leave under the law to any paid time off that the employee has available (including, but not limited to, under the New York City Earned Safe and Sick Time Act); otherwise the time off may be unpaid.  Employees are entitled to continuation of existing health insurance coverage during any such absence.

Employees requiring leave must provide their employer with advance notice where feasible.  If advance notice cannot be provided, the employer may require certification of the need for leave in the form of a police report, court order, or documentation from a medical professional, advocate, or counselor.  To the extent consistent with applicable law, employers are required to maintain confidentiality of any information regarding an employee’s status as a victim of domestic violence.

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Employers in New York should review their policies and practices and ensure all relevant personnel are trained on these new developments in advance of the November 18, 2019 effective date.

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Photo of Arielle E. Kobetz Arielle E. Kobetz

Arielle E. Kobetz is an associate in the Labor & Employment Law Department and a member of the Employment Counseling & Training Group. Her practice focuses on providing clients with strategies and counseling related to a variety of workplace-related disputes, including employee terminations…

Arielle E. Kobetz is an associate in the Labor & Employment Law Department and a member of the Employment Counseling & Training Group. Her practice focuses on providing clients with strategies and counseling related to a variety of workplace-related disputes, including employee terminations and discipline, leave and accommodation requests, and general employee relations matters. She also counsels clients on developing, implementing and enforcing personnel policies and procedures and reviewing and revising employee handbooks under federal, state and local law.

Prior to joining Proskauer, Arielle served as a law clerk at the New York City Human Resources Administration, Employment Law Unit, where she worked on a variety of employment discrimination and internal employee disciplinary issues.

Photo of Evandro Gigante Evandro Gigante

Evandro is the go-to employment litigator and counselor when clients face their most challenging, bet the reputation claims, or want to develop policies and practices that mitigate legal risk. As an award-winning partner in the Labor & Employment Law Department, member of the…

Evandro is the go-to employment litigator and counselor when clients face their most challenging, bet the reputation claims, or want to develop policies and practices that mitigate legal risk. As an award-winning partner in the Labor & Employment Law Department, member of the Employment Litigation group, and co-head of the Counseling, Training & Pay Equity group, he represents clients on a variety of labor and employment matters, including allegations of sexual harassment, race, gender, national origin, disability and religious discrimination. In addition, Evandro handles restrictive covenant matters, including non-compete, non-solicitation and trade secret disputes. Evandro also counsels employers through the most sensitive employment issues, including matters involving employer diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

With a focus on discrimination and harassment claims, Evandro has extensive experience defending clients before federal and state courts. He tries cases before juries and arbitrators and routinely represents clients before administrative agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, as well as state and local human rights commissions. Evandro often draws on his extensive litigation experience to help clients avoid the courtroom by effectuating positive change in the workplace through impactful anti-discrimination and harassment training, as well as robust employment policies.

Working in a wide range of industries, Evandro has experience representing clients in professional services, including law firms, financial services, including private equity and hedge funds, higher education, sports, media, retail, and others. Evandro also advises charter schools and other not-for-profit organizations on labor and employment matters on a pro bono basis.

Photo of Laura Fant Laura Fant

Laura Fant is a special employment law counsel in the Labor & Employment Law Department and co-administrative leader of the Counseling, Training & Pay Equity Practice Group. Her practice is dedicated to providing clients with practical solutions to common (and uncommon) employment concerns…

Laura Fant is a special employment law counsel in the Labor & Employment Law Department and co-administrative leader of the Counseling, Training & Pay Equity Practice Group. Her practice is dedicated to providing clients with practical solutions to common (and uncommon) employment concerns, with a focus on legal compliance, risk management and mitigation strategies, and workplace culture considerations.

Laura regularly counsels clients across numerous industries on a wide variety of employment matters involving recruitment and hiring, employee leave and reasonable accommodation issues, performance management, and termination of employment . She also advises on preparing, implementing and enforcing employment and separation agreements, employee handbooks and company policies, as well as provides training on topics including discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Laura is a frequent contributor to Proskauer’s Law and the Workplace blog and The Proskauer Brief podcast.