New York City has robust protections against caregiver discrimination, thanks to amendments to the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL) that took effect in 2016. These laws aim to prevent employers from discriminating against employees due to their caregiving responsibilities and from retaliating against employees who complain about such discrimination.

With the aid of these laws, CRK&L partner James Valentino resolved a matter on behalf of an executive who was terminated by a global company despite impressive performance results. Valentino argued that the termination was in retaliation for the executive’s complaint to the company that it had discriminated against the executive due to their caregiving responsibilities for a disabled child. Valentino secured a settlement amount more than double the company’s initial offer.

The NYCHRL continues to be a nationwide model of broad protections for individuals in the workplace and serves to hold employers accountable for its personnel decisions.