ALBANY – Victims of workplace harassment in New York will no longer have to prove the conduct was “severe and pervasive” to make their case in court.
Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a new legal standard for harassment Monday. It eliminates the “severe and pervasive” standard that employment attorneys and victim advocates said made it hard to file a successful claim.
The new law makes other changes to laws dealing with harassment and discrimination, including prohibiting employment contracts requiring mandatory arbitration of discrimination claims.
Another change extends how long someone has to report complaints to the state’s Division of Human Rights from one to three years.
The bill’s sponsor, Democratic Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, says the new law will make it easier to hold employers accountable for how they handle workplace harassment.
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