Mario Vasquez on Recent Changes to NY Sexual Harassment Law

Last week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law a measure that eliminates a glaring legal standard within New York’s current sexual harassment legislation: a requirement for victims to prove that the alleged abuse was “severe or pervasive.” The measure will also extend the statute of limitations on workplace harassment complaints (The Hill).

Per NewsDay, this change will “make it easier for a complainant to pursue a case” thanks to the removal of strict, binary regulations blamed for fostering “egregious, one-time abuses” while intimidating victims into forgoing legal action in scenarios deemed to be benign. Naturally, the change also demands stronger, more consistent accountability from workplaces across the state, requiring them to address “all forms of sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace” and to give survivors “necessary time to report complaints and seek the justice they deserve (all per a statement from Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, the bill’s co-sponsor).”

The new law, which had previously been approved by the New York state legislature in June, has been viewed by many as a major victory in the fight against persistently toxic workplace culture; and while it is expected to increase the amount of workplace harassment suits in the foreseeable future, it also strives to remedy the problem at its root, requiring the state to “study how to expand harassment policies and review sexual harassment policies every four years.”

This consistent attention to detail, paired with a lower tolerance for complaint suppression disguised as “he said/she said,” has simultaneously enhanced plaintiff rights while allowing the NY workplace law to take a major step into the future. I applaud the state of New York for shoring up this particular legal facet rather than leaving it in a grey area. Mario Vasquez & Associates has long prided itself on taking cases of this nature, and it will continue to welcome new ones brought to fruition by this new measure.

Originally published on MarioVasquez.info