After receiving no wages after 16 months of work, Bernardo Moreno, a former employee of a three-quarter house operator, filed suit on August 6, 2015 in federal court charging violations of minimum wage and overtime laws. He typically worked 12 or more hours per day as a “house manager.” MFY is representing Mr. Moreno in …
In written testimony to the NYS Department of Labor, MFY supports rule changes that would create strong worker protections and rein in abusive practices that are rampant in the payroll card industry. MFY supports provisions prohibiting employers from forcing workers to accept payroll cards, and banning high and hidden fees to access wages, and proposes …
In 2013 MFY submitted an amicus brief on behalf of 17 consumer advocates and organizations arguing that the city’s law requiring debt collectors to be licensed by the Department of Consumer Affairs should apply to attorneys as well as non-attorneys. The Court agreed finding that there was no conflict between the City’s law and the …
The Daily News reported on July 27, 2015 that 11 of 18 three-quarter houses operated by Narco Freedom may close after its CEO and son were indicted for an illegal Medicaid kickback scheme and other charges and it was found that the organization is operating at a severe loss. MFY Attorney Matthew Main commented that …
MFY Attorney Tanya Kessler won the restoration of a west side tenant to his now occupied apartment six years after his landlord evicted him on a bogus subletting charge. Although he tried to appear to defend himself despite being incarcerated, the Housing Court judge defaulted him. After he filed an order to show cause upon …
MFY Attorney Tanya Kessler is quoted extensively in an article in City & State focusing on the long-term solutions to the problems of three-quarter houses, highlighting the need to increase the city’s shelter allowance for single adults, combat Medicaid fraud, end the exclusion of people with criminal records from public housing, and explore new models …
MFY has defended tenants in buildings owned by The Orbach Group, the subject of a recent New York Times article describing the landlord’s attempts to force out rent-regulated tenants through harassment, baseless eviction proceedings, and heavy-handed buyout offers. Read the article here.
MFY’s work to defend residents of three-quarter houses and end abusive practices was recognized in a major exposé in the New York Times on May 31, 2015. Staff from MFY’s Three-Quarter House Project worked with the Times reporter over a period of many months and facilitated interviews with members of the Three-Quarter House Tenant Organizing …
Five people with disabilities filed a class action lawsuit in federal court against New York City Transit (NYCT) for the unconstitutional policies of Access-A-Ride, the City’s paratransit service for people with disabilities. MFY Legal Services, Inc. and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, who are representing the plaintiffs, found that NYCT fails to tell applicants and …
Elizabeth Lynch, MFY Legal Services’ supervising attorney for the Foreclosure Prevention Project, was among 50 young lawyers chosen as 2015 Rising Stars by the New York Law Journal’s panel of 24 esteemed judges. In addition to her zealous advocacy for individual clients and leadership of seven foreclosure attorneys, Ms. Lynch has co-authored three reports that …
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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