Throw Out Your Old Residential Lease Forms - New Law Alert

On June 21, 2023, all residential leases in NYS need to be updated to provide notice of the flood risk and flood history of the rental as well as what flood insurance is available to renters.

S5472A has created Real Property Law 231-b to create a right to know for renters when it comes to floods. 

Now, in addition to providing the history of flood damage at the premises and whether the rental is in a FEMA floodplain, special flood hazard area, or a moderate risk flood hazard area, landlords must include the following notice in all of their leases:

FLOOD INSURANCE IS AVAILABLE TO RENTERS  THROUGH  THE  FEDERAL

EMERGENCY  MANAGEMENT AGENCY'S (FEMA'S) NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM  (NFIP) TO COVER YOUR PERSONAL PROPERTY AND CONTENTS IN THE  EVENT  OF  A  FLOOD.  A  STANDARD  RENTER'S  INSURANCE POLICY DOES NOT TYPICALLY COVER  FLOOD DAMAGE. YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO EXAMINE  YOUR  POLICY  TO  DETERMINE  WHETHER YOU ARE COVERED.

 

Major Discrimination Update - NYS Human Rights Law Expanded to Prohibit Discrimination on Citizenship / Immigration Status

Citizenship Status and Immigration Status are now protected classes throughout the State of New York when it comes to discrimination in housing, public accommodations (commercial real estate), education, and employment.

Effective December 23, 2022, A6328A has amended the New York State Human Rights Law to protect a new group of New Yorkers, those who are subjected to different terms, conditions, and privileges based on their citizenship status and immigration status. It protects against discriminatory publications (i.e., advertising / statements). It protects from hostile environments. It is all encompassing to stop discrimination. 

According to the law, Citizenship or Immigration Status is defined to mean "the citizenship of any person or the immigration status of any person who is not a citizen of the United States."

Employers, landlords, and educational administrators may have a gut pushback to this law and wonder about issues it may cause for them if they are required to verify legal status as part of their business. Have no fear, the law permits verification and consequential adverse actions "where required by law." However, that does not mean that you can check status whenever you feel like it or believe the law requires it. Instead, it is incumbent upon any person who plans to verify status to first identify the legal basis for why status is required to be verified before doing anything. Otherwise, employers, landlords, and educational administrators should expect to be defending a lawsuit that can easily result in damages over six-figures.

 

All NYS Employers Must Disclose Compensation to Applicants and Employees - Equal Pay Lawsuit Coming

On December 21, 2022, the State caught up with New York City by passing a statewide mandatory compensation disclosure act, S9427A, which will be effective on September 17, 2023. 

The new law, Labor Law 194-b, requires that all employers and agencies only advertise a job, promotion, or transfer if they also provide the compensation or compensation range together with a job description.

While no job description is required if it does not exist, be warned that the law applies even if only a part of the job is to be performed in New York. 

Yet, that's all we know... FOR NOW.

However, there will be more because the Department of Labor is charged with promulgating additional rules and regulations. So, stay tuned. 

Hopefully, these rules will include a notice before violation provision where an employer can cure before being penalized like the City's version. 

The penalties are big - they are $1,000 for the first violation, $2,000 for the second, and $3,000 for subsequent violations. Nonetheless, the real risk is that it's conceivable that a court could find that one mistake could result in thousands of violations based on the number of positions available, applicants, and varying web aggregators that reproduce the job post.

That is all setting aside a company's real exposure. 

Now, employees are going to know if they have claims under the Equal Pay Act or if they've been otherwise discriminated in the terms of their employment. This is big!

FOX LiveNOW: Attorney Andrew Lieb on Jan 6 Committee, Charges Against Trump

Attorney Andrew Lieb joined LiveNOW from FOX to break-down the referrals from the Jan 6 Committee to the DOJ and why he thinks that the country is now ready for a criminal trial against Trump.

FOX 5 NY: Attorney Andrew Lieb Talks About The January 6 Panel Recommendations and Charges Against Donald Trump

January 6 Panel Recommends Criminal Charges Against Donald Trump. Legal Political Analysis With Attorney Andrew Lieb on Fox 5 NY.

CBS NY: January 6 Panel Recommends Criminal Charges Against Donald Trump. Analysis W/ Attorney Andrew Lieb

Attorney Andrew Lieb joined CBS NY to explain that the referrals from the Jan 6 Committee can undercut the #DOJ by making any charges seem politically motivated even if they are not.

Attorney Andrew Lieb Offers New CLE for Attorneys: Proving Emotional Distress Damages in a Discrimination Case

Proving Emotional Distress Damages in a Discrimination Case

Discrimination law is top of mind for most attorneys and businesses throughout the country. We all like to discuss the latest news headlines and debate our culture wars to determine who is right and wrong, but in reality, that discussion misses the point. The real question is what is the cost of being wrong. For example, while pecuniary damages (such as back pay and front pay) are known and tangible, have you considered non-pecuniary damages in your case evaluation? In discrimination law, the largest category of damages is emotional distress, which can vary depending on the proof you have and your ability to prove it in court. In this course, Andrew Lieb will teach you how to gather and prove these intangible damages, which will make or break your discrimination case.

Attorneys can register here 

FOX LiveNOW: Attorney Andrew Lieb on Jan 6 Committee, Charges Against Trump

 Legal Political Analysis with Attorney Andrew Lieb on LiveNOW from FOX

New York Tenants Have New Tool When Landlords Fail to Fix Unsafe Conditions

Sketchy landlords beware! 

New York's Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law Article 7-C has been added by A3241 to give tenants and municipalities a new tool in their arsenal to address persistent unsafe conditions that are neglected by their landlords. 

Applicable in both residential and commercial mixed use properties, the new law, which is immediately effective, allows for receivership proceedings where a landlord has failed to remedy “conditions dangerous to life, health, or safety.” Basically, this means a court may appoint an independent “receiver” who is empowered to manage and redirect rent deposits towards fixing an issue that a landlord has neglected to sufficiently address.

However, what's interesting is the flip side of the law. It's yet another reminder that tenants should not unilaterally withhold rent or make repairs, outside of their rights in their specific lease, when there are habitability issues at the premises. Instead, they should follow the law and have their rental money deposited with the Court. Doing it otherwise is technically a grounds for eviction. Simple stated, there is a procedure when a landlord doesn't fix property and you, as a tenant, can't decide to just not pay when it's not being fixed. 

This procedure of depositing rent into Court and having a receiver appointed was formerly available only in New York City, but now applies statewide. 

Limited Scope Litigation Representation Coming to NYS Today - New Law

Have you ever wanted to hire an attorney for a specific task in litigation and to do the rest of the case by yourself? 

What about to oppose a motion? Or, to draft a complaint? Or, to respond to discovery? Or, to argue in court? 

What about being frustrated when consulting with attorneys who will only take your case on an hourly basis because they will be stuck as your attorney until the end and have no idea how long the litigation will go; wouldn't it be better to only have to pay a flat fee for specific task? 

The day of limited scope appearances in civil litigation has come in New York State.

Today, Governor Hochul signed A04938 into law and it's immediately effective. The bill enacts CPLR 321(d), which is titled "Limited Scope Appearance," and reads as follows:

1. An attorney may appear on behalf of a party in a civil action or proceeding for limited purposes.  Whenever an attorney appears for limited purposes, a notice of limited scope appearance shall be filed in addition to any self-represented appearance that the party may have already filed with the court. The notice of limited scope appearance shall be signed by the attorney entering the limited scope appearance and shall define the purposes for which the attorney is appearing. Upon such filing, and unless otherwise directed by the court, the attorney shall be entitled to appear for the defined purposes.

2. Unless  otherwise directed by the court upon a finding of extraordinary circumstances and for good cause shown, upon completion of the purposes for which the attorney has filed a limited scope appearance, the attorney shall file a notice of completion of limited scope appearance which shall constitute the attorney's withdrawal from the action or proceeding.

Now, CPLR 321(d) is not a license for a free-for-all. Instead, this new law is subject to the Rules of Professional Conduct, which requires your informed consent before a limited scope representation is established, by way of Rule 1.2, Comment 6A, which provides: 

In obtaining consent from the client, the lawyer must adequately disclose the limitations on the scope of the engagement and the matters that will be excluded. In addition, the lawyer must disclose the reasonably foreseeable consequences of the limitation. In making such disclosure, the lawyer should explain that if the lawyer or the client determines during the representation that additional services outside the limited scope specified in the engagement are necessary or advisable to represent the client adequately, then the client may need to retain separate counsel, which could result in delay, additional expense, and complications.

Nonetheless, limited scope representation is expressly permissible under Rule 1.16(c)(11), which permits the termination of representation when it is allowable by "other law." 

As a result, Lieb at Law welcomes you to the age of unbundled legal services in New York State litigation. 

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