STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2235
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 19, 2023
___________
Introduced by Sen. MAYER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the civil rights law, in relation to the amount of
damages recoverable in a cause of action for unlawful interference
with protected rights
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 3 of section 70-b of the civil
2 rights law, as added by a chapter of the laws of 2022 amending the civil
3 rights law relating to establishing a cause of action for unlawful
4 interference with protected rights, as proposed in legislative bills
5 numbers A. 10094-A and S. 9039-A, is amended to read as follows:
6 (b) [punitive] additional damages of up to three times the amount of
7 compensatory damages shall be recoverable upon an additional demon-
8 stration that the action against the plaintiff was commenced or contin-
9 ued for the purpose of harassing, intimidating, punishing or otherwise
10 maliciously inhibiting the exercise of rights protected in New York,
11 including but not limited to the rights in subdivision six of this
12 section.
13 § 2. This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same
14 manner as a chapter of the laws of 2022 amending the civil rights law
15 relating to establishing a cause of action for unlawful interference
16 with protected rights, as proposed in legislative bills numbers A.
17 10094-A and S. 9039-A, takes effect.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03943-01-3