Bill > A01182

This bill provides strong protections for jury awards in employment discrimination cases by significantly limiting courts' ability to reduce or overturn jury verdicts. Specifically, the bill amends New York state law to mandate that courts cannot reduce or modify jury awards in employment discrimination cases unless they find "exceptional circumstances" that demonstrate the jury was influenced by partiality, prejudice, mistake, or corruption. The bill requires courts to review evidence in a way that favors sustaining the jury's verdict and explicitly instructs judges to prioritize the remedial purpose of anti-discrimination laws over previous precedents that might have limited damage awards. Courts are prohibited from reducing awards based on comparisons to other damage awards or a judge's personal experiences from prior cases. The legislation applies to discrimination claims under state executive law, including those brought by non-employees, and covers both state and local human rights laws. The bill takes effect immediately and applies to all pending cases where a verdict has not yet been reached, as well as all future claims, effectively strengthening legal protections for employees who have experienced workplace discrimination.

Justice

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A1182