Human Rights Law - The Coppola Firm

HR Alert: Disparate Impact – Does it Exist Anymore?

Written by Lisa Coppola on April 29, 2025. Posted in Business, Compliance, Employment, Entrepreneurship.

On Wednesday, April 23, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) entitled Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy, which set out as the Administration’s policy a goal: to eliminate the use of disparate-impact...

HR Alert: New Law on NY Background Checks

Written by Lisa Coppola on February 28, 2025. Posted in Business, Employment, Entrepreneurship.

Sophisticated human relations professionals know that there are all sorts of rules around running background checks on employees and prospective employees. We field questions about this all the time. But do entrepreneurs and...

HR Alert: Beware New York’s Lower Standard for Sexual Harassment Claims

Written by Lisa Coppola on February 26, 2024. Posted in Business, Compliance, Employment, Entrepreneurship.

For business owners, it’s important to understand the legal standards applied to claims that can be brought against you and your business. That’s why it’s critical to appreciate that there are two different laws –...

motorcycles driving down the road with rainbow flags

Stepping Stones to Pride Month

Written by Lisa Coppola on June 13, 2022. Posted in Employment, Entrepreneurship.

Pride Month is filled with parades, rainbow flags, and companies releasing statements supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. The month of June gushes love and kindness for the LGBTQ+ community… but what about the other 11 months...

HR Alert: The EEOC Provides Guidance on the Intersection between COVID-19 and EEO Laws

Written by Lisa Coppola on May 15, 2020. Posted in Business, Compliance, COVID 19, Employment, Entrepreneurship.

As workplaces plan to re-open, employers should heed new COVID-19 related guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). As the guidance makes clear, responding to COVID-19 is ripe with potential to run afoul...

Personal Liability for Harassment & Discrimination in New York

Written by Lisa Coppola on October 14, 2019. Posted in Business, Compliance, Employment.

It is well known that New York employers can be held liable for harassment and discrimination in the workplace. Liability for owners, officers, and supervisors, however, is less frequently discussed. In this post we discuss...

Recent Legislation Expands Liability for New York Public Schools

Written by Lisa Coppola on August 5, 2019. Posted in Charter Schools, Compliance, Litigation.

On July 25, 2019, Governor Cuomo signed new legislation that expands the New York State Human Rights Law (Executive Law § 292). The law previously applied to education corporations, and it now applies more broadly to “educational...

HR Alert: NY Human Rights Law Expanded To Protect Certain Hair Styles

Written by Lisa Coppola on July 17, 2019. Posted in Business, Compliance, Employment, Entrepreneurship.

Effective immediately, the New York State Human Rights Law prohibits employers from discriminating against employees based on “traits historically associated with race.” That includes certain hairstyles such as braids, locks,...

HR Alert: NY’s GENDA Protects Gender Identity & Expression In The Workplace

Written by Lisa Coppola on February 25, 2019. Posted in Business, Compliance, Employment, Entrepreneurship.

Effective February 24, 2019, the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act became law in New York. It protects individuals from harassment or discrimination based on their gender identity or expression. For New York employers,...

Sexual Harassment: It’s Illegal in Housing, Too

Written by Lisa Coppola on July 31, 2018. Posted in Business, Compliance, Entrepreneurship.

Sexual harassment in housing has been getting a lot attention in the media lately. This may be in part due to a powerful video released by the United States Department of Justice. While much of the conduct described in the...

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Tag: Human Rights Law