New York Employment Attorney Blog
Phillips & Associates is expanding into Long Island with the opening of a new office location in Manhasset. This location on Long Island’s North Shore will enable us to help workers in Nassau and Suffolk Counties assert their rights under federal and state laws against discrimination, harassment, and other unlawful practices. New York anti-discrimination law provides powerful protections for workers. Our Manhasset office will work alongside our locations in Manhattan and Princeton, New Jersey in helping aggrieved employees and job applicants seek justice.
Workers on Long Island are protected from workplace discrimination and harassment by Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL). Title VII identifies five protected categories: sex, race, color, religion, and national origin. The statute considers both sexual harassment and pregnancy discrimination to be discrimination on the basis of sex. The NYSHRL includes additional protected categories, such as sexual orientation, family or marital status, and domestic violence victim status. These laws prohibit employers from refusing to hire, firing, demoting, or otherwise making adverse employment decisions about an employee or job applicant solely because of their membership in a protected category.
Leading the new office will be Phillips & Associates partner Marjorie Mesidor, a tireless advocate for people who have experienced sexual harassment or discrimination on the basis of factors like sex, race, and disability. She obtained a unanimous jury verdict in a landmark 2013 case, Johnson v. Strive, which established that people of the same race can discriminate against one another in violation of state and federal laws. Joining Ms. Mesidor will be Joshua P. Frank, an employment attorney with a commitment to protecting people’s right to equal opportunities in the workplace.
Long Island, including the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens and Nassau and Suffolk Counties, is within the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. This court has original jurisdiction over claims brought under federal statutes like Title VII. It may also have jurisdiction over certain state law cases, such as when a New York resident sues an employer headquartered in another state and claims damages of $75,000 or more. For other claims brought under statutes like the NYSHRL, the Supreme Courts of Nassau and Suffolk Counties have original jurisdiction.
Manhasset is a hamlet of about 8,000 people within the Town of North Hempstead. It is located on the North Shore of Long Island about 20 miles east of Manhattan. The area features many beautiful parks, and Manhasset Bay reportedly inspired the setting of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel The Great Gatsby. Our new office location allows convenient access to the federal courthouses in Brooklyn and Central Islip, the Nassau County Supreme Court in Mineola, and the Suffolk County Supreme Court locations in Central Islip and Riverhead.
Phillips & Associates’ employment attorneys advocate for the rights of workers on Long Island and throughout the greater New York City region. We represent clients in claims of sexual harassment, sex discrimination, and other unlawful workplace practices. To schedule a free and confidential consultation with a member of our team, contact us today online or at (212) 248-7431.
More Blog Posts:
Phillips & Associates Prevails Before Second Circuit in Important Sexual Harassment, Retaliation Case, New York Employment Attorney Blog, September 6, 2016
Phillips & Associates Obtains $50,000 Jury Verdict in Sexual Harassment, Retaliation Lawsuit, New York Employment Attorney Blog, July 24, 2014
A Brief History of How Sexual Harassment Became Unlawful Employment Discrimination, New York Employment Attorney Blog, May 29, 2014