MFJ’s Special Litigation Project (SLP), created in 2020, expands and strengthens the scope of the organization’s class and impact litigation and law reform work. The SLP collaborates closely with MFJ’s core project areas (Housing, Economic Justice, Disability and Aging Rights, and Children’s Rights) to identify systemic problems affecting MFJ’s client populations, with an emphasis on issues with a significant racial justice component.
The SLP develops and litigates cases in federal and state court, often in partnership with pro bono firm or non-profit co-counsel, serves as a resource on litigation strategy for MFJ attorneys, and engages in public policy and legislative advocacy, community organizing, and media relations work.
The scope of SLP’s legal work includes due process and other civil rights violations in the areas of special education, public benefits, law enforcement, and immigration; public and private sector discrimination based on race, immigration status, criminal history, gender, and other protected characteristics; predatory lending; and environmental injustice, among other areas.
Current SLP cases include:
- Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) class action challenging undercover street hail operations targeting drivers of color
- Criminal record discrimination class action against Uber
- Class Action Against NYC Department of Education Challenging Extensive Evaluation Delays and Payments
- Intervention to protect the Fair Consumer Judgment Interest Act
- Challenge to a predatory lending scheme in Brooklyn
- Criminal record discrimination lawsuit against New York University