New York Consolidated Laws

N.Y. Executive Law § 290 (2026)

Purposes of article

✓ current as of May 2026

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§ 290. Purposes of article.  1. This article shall be known as the
"Human Rights Law".
  2. It shall be deemed an exercise of the police power of the state for
the protection of the public welfare, health and peace of the people of
this state, and in fulfillment of the provisions of the constitution of
this state concerning civil rights.
  3. The legislature hereby finds and declares that the state has the
responsibility to act to assure that every individual within this state
is afforded an equal opportunity to enjoy a full and productive life and
that the failure to provide such equal opportunity, whether because of
discrimination, prejudice, intolerance or inadequate education,
training, housing or health care not only threatens the rights and
proper privileges of its inhabitants but menaces the institutions and
foundation of a free democratic state and threatens the peace, order,
health, safety and general welfare of the state and its inhabitants. A
division in the executive department is hereby created to encourage
programs designed to insure that every individual shall have an equal
opportunity to participate fully in the economic, cultural and
intellectual life of the state; to encourage and promote the development
and execution by all persons within the state of such state programs; to
eliminate and prevent discrimination in employment, in places of public
accommodation, resort or amusement, in educational institutions, in
public services, in housing accommodations, in commercial space and in
credit transactions and to take other actions against discrimination as
herein provided; and the division established hereunder is hereby given
general jurisdiction and power for such purposes.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 1,778 cases (721 in the last 5 years), 1978–2026 · leading case: Eugene Margerum v. City of Buffalo, 28 N.E.3d 515 (NY 2015).

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Eugene Margerum v. City of Buffalo, 28 N.E.3d 515 (NY 2015). · cites it 7× “not only threatens the rights and proper privileges of its inhabitants but menaces the institutions and foundation of a free democratic state and threatens the peace, order, health, safety and general welfare of the state and its inhabitants" (Executive Law § 290 [3]; see also…”

Caidor v. Onondaga Cnty., 517 F.3d 601 (2d Cir. 2008). · cites it 2× “§ 12101 ; and the New York State Human Rights Law, N.Y. Exec. Law § 290 . Magistrate Judge Peebles, who oversaw pretrial discovery in this matter pursuant to 28 U.”

Williams v. MTA Bus Co., 44 F.4th 115 (2d Cir. 2022). · cites it 3× “First, we consider whether an applicant who cannot establish a genuine issue of 7 material fact as to whether he is “otherwise qualified” for the desired employment 8 position can survive summary judgment on a failure-to-accommodate claim arising 9 from the employer’s…”

Hoffman v. Parade Publications, 933 N.E.2d 744 (NY 2010). · cites it 4× “) and the New York State Human Rights Law (see Executive Law § 290 et seq.). Defendants moved to dismiss the complaint for, among other things, lack of subject matter jurisdiction.”

George v. Prof'l Disposables Int'l, Inc., 221 F. Supp. 3d 428 (S.D.N.Y. 2016). · cites it 2× “¶¶ 58-62, and the New York State Human Rights Law (“NYHRL”), N.Y. Exec. Law § 290 et seq., Am. Compl. ¶¶ 69-73.”

Brown v. State of New York, 674 N.E.2d 1129 (NY 1996). · cites it 4× “, Executive Law § 290 et seq. [Human Rights Law]; Civil Rights Law § 40 et seq.”

Fletcher v. Kidder, Peabody & Co., 619 N.E.2d 998 (NY 1993). · cites it 6× “Following her termination, plaintiff commenced the present action, alleging that she had been the victim of gender-based discrimination in violation of the State Human Rights Law (Executive Law § 290 et seq. ). In response, defendant invoked the arbitration clause in the U-4…”

Kimel v. Florida Bd. of Regents, 528 U.S. 62 (2000). · cites it 2× “(1996); N. Y. Exec. Law § 290 et seq. (McKinney 1993 and Supp.”

McLeod v. the Jewish Guild for the Blind, 864 F.3d 154 (2d Cir. 2017). “, but did not check blanks corresponding to the New York State Human Rights Law (“NYSHRL”), N.Y. Exec. Law § 290 et seq., or the New York City Human Rights Law (“NYCHRL”), N.”

Vivenzio v. City of Syracuse, 611 F.3d 98 (2d Cir. 2010). · cites it 2× “§ 1981 , and the New York State Human Rights Law ("NYSHRL"), N.Y. Exec. Law § 290 et seq. The district court, in an opinion dated April 9, 2008, reported at 545 F.”

Townsend v. Benjamin Enter., Inc., 679 F.3d 41 (2d Cir. 2012). · cites it 2× “Grey-Allen and Townsend sued BEI, Michelle Benjamin, and Hugh Benjamin in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York for violations of Title VII; New York Human Rights Law, N.Y. Exec. Law § 290 et seq. ("New York Human Rights Law"); and *45 New York…”

Moll v. Telesector, 94 F.4th 218 (2d Cir. 2024). · cites it 2× “, and New York State Human Rights Law, N.Y. Exec. Law § 290 et 6 seq.; and alleging that plaintiff was paid less than her male co-workers for substantially 7 similar work, in violation of Title VII and the Equal Pay Act, 29 U.”

Show all 1,778 citing cases →

— N.Y. Executive Law § 290(1) — 1 case

DeWald v. Amsterdam Hous. Auth., 823 F. Supp. 94 (N.D.N.Y. 1993).

— N.Y. Executive Law § 290(2) — 1 case

Daniel v. Am. Bd. of Emergency Med., 802 F. Supp. 912 (W.D.N.Y. 1992).

— N.Y. Executive Law § 290(3) — 3 cases

Mukaddam v. Permanent Mission of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, 111 F. Supp. 2d 457 (S.D.N.Y. 2000).

Pfau v. Coopers & Lybrand, 776 F. Supp. 744 (S.D.N.Y. 1990).

James v. Disney Studios Content, 2025 NY Slip Op 30188(U) (N.Y. Sup. Ct., New York Cty. 2025).

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