A 1310: Prohibits a cause of action for defamation where the subject of such action includes an allegation made to an employer regarding an unlawful discriminatory practice or act of retaliation.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1310 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 9, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. SIMON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Judiciary AN ACT to amend the civil rights law, in relation to libel and defama- tion actions The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 74 of the civil rights law, as added by chapter 310 2 of the laws of 1962, is amended to read as follows: 3 § 74. Privileges in action for libel or defamation. 1. (a) A civil 4 action cannot be maintained against any person, firm or corporation, for 5 the publication of a fair and true report of any judicial proceeding, 6 legislative proceeding or other official proceeding, or for any heading 7 of the report which is a fair and true headnote of the statement 8 published. 9 (b) This section does not apply to a libel contained in any other 10 matter added by any person concerned in the publication; or in the 11 report of anything said or done at the time and place of such a proceed- 12 ing which was not a part thereof. 13 2. No cause of action for defamation can be maintained by any person 14 or entity, against any person or entity, where the subject of such 15 action includes a protected allegation, whether such protected allega- 16 tion is formal or informal, oral or in writing. "Protected allegation" 17 shall mean an allegation made to an employer or its agent by a person 18 protected by the New York state human rights law or New York city human 19 rights law, or such person's agent, of (a) an unlawful discriminatory 20 practice as defined by the New York state human rights law or New York 21 city human rights law, where such allegation relates to employment, or 22 (b) employment discrimination (including retaliation) prohibited by any 23 federal, state, or local law. 24 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02616-01-5