In August 2014, MFY and Legal Services-NYC submitted an amicus brief to the New York Court of Appeals in the case of Santiago-Monteverde v. Pereira, arguing that a rent-stabilized lease should be exempt from a debtor’s bankruptcy estate as a “local public assistance benefit.” The New York Court of Appeals agreed today, helping to end …
A Manhattan Supreme Court Judge ruled that the NYC Department of Education’s (DOE) denial of re-employment to a paraprofessional with a past drunk driving conviction despite a record of rehabilitation and successful employment was arbitrary and capricious and ordered the DOE to expedite the employment application. Read the NY Law Journal’s coverage here.
MFY Supervising Attorneys Michael Grinthal and Barbara Graves-Poller spoke out on the difficulties clients face in state courts when interpreters are not available in an October 28, 2014 article in the New York Law Journal.
MFY Legal Services and Legal Services-NYC submitted an amicus brief to the NY Court of Appeals urging the court to find that rent-stabilized leases are not assets subject to liquidation in a bankruptcy proceeding.
MFY submitted comments in support of CFPB’s policy proposal that consumers be allowed to release their complaint narratives to the public through a complaint database. Current complaint categories provide little understanding of the consumer’s experience. Releasing the narratives will reveal potential predatory lending in the communities MFY serves.
Home health care workers formerly employed by BNV Home Care Agency won class certification allowing their lawsuit against the agency to proceed. The workers, represented by MFY Legal Services and Abbey Spanier LLP, charges that the agency failed to pay workers the required wages for their long hours of work, which regularly entailed 70-80 hours …
In Single Room Occupancy Housing in NYC: The Origins and Dimensions of a Crisis (CUNY Law Review), MFY attorneys argue that new city policies are needed to preserve SROs and promote new ones to reduce homelessness and increase affordable housing for low-income singles.
As a result of MFY Legal Services’ work in documenting tenant harassment by Marolda Properties and bringing together community groups to challenge these abuses, New York State’s Tenant Protection Unit (TPU) has subpoenaed the company. The TPU will investigate allegations of bogus housing court cases that largely targeted elderly and Chinese-speaking tenants, as well as …
A Brooklyn Housing Court Judge ruled that Back on Track Group, a three-quarter house that evicted MFY Legal Services’ client in July, was not exempt from New York administrative rules preventing unlawful evictions and ordered the resident reinstated. The Judge’s decision said that the license agreement tenants are required to sign does not invalidate their …
After a NYC landlord sought to evict a tenant, MFY attorney Brian Sullivan convinced the court to dismiss the case based on the landlord’s failure to explain why it did not know the legal status of the persons occupying the apartment. The landlord claimed in its Notice of Termination that the respondents were “trespassers/squatters and/or …
MOBILIZATION FOR JUSTICE
Mobilization for Justice’s (MFJ) mission is to achieve justice for all. We prioritize the needs of people who are low-income, disenfranchised, or have disabilities as they struggle to overcome the effects of social injustice and systemic racism. We provide the highest-quality free, direct civil legal assistance, conduct community education and build partnerships, engage in policy advocacy, and bring impact litigation. MFJ also promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplace, and understands the need to eliminate all racial disparities to achieve justice for all.
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Masthead photo by Cindy Knoke.
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