New York City Civil Rights Lawyer

If someone with power over you has violated your civil rights, whether an employer who discriminated against you, an institution that refused to treat you fairly, or anyone who believed their position placed them above accountability, you have legal options. Civil rights laws exist precisely to protect individuals against those who abuse their authority.

Our New York City civil rights lawyer at The Bloom Firm represents people whose fundamental rights have been violated. We handle employment discrimination, workplace harassment, retaliation, and cases involving powerful individuals and institutions that believe they can mistreat people without consequence. We take civil rights cases on contingency, so you pay nothing unless we win. Contact us for a free consultation if your rights have been violated.

Why Choose The Bloom Firm for Civil Rights Cases in New York City?

Attorneys Who Take On Power

Civil rights cases pit individuals against employers, institutions, and sometimes public figures with far greater resources. These defendants hire expensive lawyers. They deploy aggressive tactics designed to exhaust and intimidate. They count on victims giving up before the case reaches resolution.

We don’t give up. The Bloom Firm has filed lawsuits against Sean “Diddy” Combs, Kanye West, Bill Cosby, and the Alexander Brothers. We represented all eleven of our Jeffrey Epstein victim clients and won money for every one of them. We took legal action for three transgender women who were physically thrown out of a business in violation of their civil rights. We represented a man who alleged a KKK-style sheet was hung over his workstation. When powerful people violate civil rights, we make them answer for it.

Lisa Bloom founded the firm in 2010 after building a career representing victims against institutions and individuals who believed their power made them untouchable. She earned her J.D. from Yale Law School in 1986 and has practiced civil rights law for over three decades. Super Lawyers has recognized her every year since 2015. Before opening the firm, she hosted a daily legal show on Court TV covering civil rights and high-profile cases. She continues to appear regularly on CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC as a legal analyst.

Arick Fudali serves as Partner and Managing Attorney. Licensed in New York, California, and Florida, he brings a prosecutor’s approach to civil rights work. He graduated from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and spent time as an Assistant State Attorney in Broward County before shifting to civil rights litigation in 2011. He appears frequently on CNN, Court TV, and News Nation discussing victims’ rights.

Our employment lawyer in New York City handles claims that frequently arise in civil rights contexts, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination.

Results Against Powerful Defendants

Our firm has recovered millions of dollars for clients in civil rights, discrimination, and harassment cases. We have secured multi-million dollar jury verdicts against wealthy defendants. We have won settlements from corporations, entertainment figures, and institutions that initially refused to acknowledge wrongdoing. When we take your case, we fight until you get justice.

The Fee Arrangement

Civil rights cases require resources. Discovery, depositions, expert witnesses, and trial preparation all cost money. We advance these costs and work on contingency. You pay nothing upfront and owe nothing unless we recover compensation for you.

What Clients Say

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“The Bloom Firm changed my life. They believed me when others didn’t and fought for me when I felt powerless. I cannot thank them enough for what they accomplished.” — Andy Northcutt, Client

Read more reviews on our Google Business Profile.

Types of Civil Rights Cases We Handle in New York City

Civil rights violations occur when individuals or institutions infringe on legally protected rights. Our attorneys handle cases across several areas:

Employment discrimination. Employers violate civil rights when they make decisions based on race, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other protected characteristics. Hiring, firing, promotions, compensation, assignments, and working conditions must be free from discriminatory bias. When they’re not, employees have legal recourse. We handle job discrimination cases throughout New York City.
Sexual harassment. Unwanted sexual conduct in the workplace violates civil rights when it creates hostile conditions or when job benefits are conditioned on tolerating or submitting to harassment. These cases involve supervisors who abuse their authority, coworkers who make work unbearable, and employers who fail to stop misconduct they know about.
Racial discrimination and harassment. Slurs, racist comments, exclusion based on race or ethnicity, and adverse employment decisions motivated by racial bias all violate civil rights laws. We have represented clients facing overt racial hostility and clients experiencing subtler patterns of discriminatory treatment that accumulated over time.
LGBTQ discrimination. Discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression violates New York law and, since 2020, federal law as well. We have represented gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clients facing workplace discrimination, harassment, and exclusion from public accommodations.
Disability discrimination. Employers must provide reasonable accommodations for disabled employees and cannot discriminate based on disability in hiring, firing, promotion, or other employment decisions. When employers fail these obligations, they violate civil rights. Cases involving harassment of disabled employees frequently accompany accommodation failures.
Religious discrimination. Employees cannot be penalized for their religious beliefs or practices. Employers must reasonably accommodate religious observance unless doing so creates undue hardship. Mocking someone’s faith, pressuring them to participate in religious activities that conflict with their beliefs, or treating them adversely because of their religion violates civil rights.
Retaliation. When employers punish employees for reporting discrimination, participating in investigations, or opposing unlawful practices, they compound the original civil rights violation with another one. Retaliation claims often produce substantial damages because punishing someone for exercising legal rights is particularly egregious.
High-profile civil rights violations. Some civil rights cases involve prominent defendants: executives, celebrities, public figures, and others whose resources and visibility create unique challenges. We have extensive experience handling these cases, managing media attention, and matching the resources that wealthy defendants deploy against victims.

New York Legal Protections for Civil Rights

New York provides layered civil rights protections through city, state, and federal law. Multiple statutes may apply to your situation, and pursuing claims under several frameworks can strengthen your case.

New York City Human Rights Law

The New York City Human Rights Law is one of the most protective civil rights statutes in the country. It covers employers with four or more employees and prohibits discrimination based on an extensive list of protected characteristics including race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, religion, age, and many others.

The law requires courts to interpret its provisions liberally in favor of plaintiffs. The harassment standard is notably broader than federal law: rather than proving conduct was “severe or pervasive,” plaintiffs need only show they were subjected to inferior terms, conditions, or privileges because of a protected characteristic. The NYC Commission on Human Rights enforces these protections.

New York State Human Rights Law

The New York State Division of Human Rights enforces state civil rights protections that apply throughout New York. The state strengthened its Human Rights Law in 2019 through amendments extending statutes of limitation and making discrimination claims easier to pursue. State law covers employers with four or more employees and provides another avenue for civil rights enforcement.

Federal Civil Rights Laws

Several federal statutes protect civil rights in employment. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin, and the Supreme Court has interpreted it to cover sexual orientation and gender identity since 2020. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforces Title VII for employers with fifteen or more employees.

The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits disability discrimination and requires reasonable accommodation. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act protects workers forty and older. The Department of Labor provides resources on federal workplace protections, and the Department of Justice enforces civil rights laws more broadly.

Statutes of Limitations

You generally have three years to file civil rights claims under New York City and State law. Federal claims have shorter deadlines: 300 days for EEOC charges in New York. Missing these deadlines can permanently bar recovery regardless of how strong your case might be. Consulting an attorney promptly protects your options.

Important Aspects of a New York City Civil Rights Case

Civil rights cases require proving that protected characteristics motivated adverse treatment. Several elements consistently affect how these cases develop.

Building Your Evidence

Documentation makes or breaks civil rights claims. Write down what happened while details remain fresh: dates, times, locations, what was said or done, who witnessed it. Save communications that reveal discriminatory attitudes or document adverse treatment. Screenshot digital content before it disappears. Preserve performance reviews, especially those from before and after discrimination began. Many victims don’t realize how quickly evidence needs to be preserved to protect their claims later.

Establishing Patterns

Civil rights violations often involve patterns rather than isolated incidents. Treatment that seemed ambiguous in the moment becomes clearer when you step back and see how incidents accumulated. The joke that wasn’t quite a joke. The assignment that went to someone else without explanation. The meeting you weren’t invited to. Documenting these patterns helps establish discriminatory intent.

Comparator Evidence

How were similarly situated people without your protected characteristic treated? If white colleagues received opportunities denied to you, if men got second chances you never got, if younger employees advanced while you remained stuck, those comparisons matter. Identifying appropriate comparators helps prove that your protected characteristic, rather than legitimate factors, drove adverse treatment.

Internal Complaints

Reporting discrimination through your employer’s designated channels creates documentation showing you put them on notice. For some claims, particularly coworker harassment, employer knowledge affects liability. Report in writing when possible. Keep copies of everything. Document whether and how management responds.

Administrative Filing Options

You can pursue civil rights claims through multiple channels. The NYC Commission on Human Rights handles city law complaints. The New York State Division of Human Rights enforces state law. The EEOC handles federal claims. Each path has different procedures and strategic implications. Under certain circumstances, you can proceed directly to court without filing administratively first for city and state claims.

What You Can Recover

Successful civil rights claims can result in back pay, front pay, compensatory damages for emotional distress, and punitive damages in egregious cases. New York’s Human Rights Laws allow recovery of attorney’s fees, creating additional pressure on defendants. The amount recoverable depends on the severity of the violation, its duration and impact, and the strength of your evidence. Cases involving workplace harassment or hostile work environment alongside discrimination may support additional claims.

Contact The Bloom Firm

Civil rights violations leave victims feeling powerless against employers, institutions, and individuals with far greater resources. New York law provides tools to shift that balance, and our attorneys know how to use them.

We provide free consultations to evaluate your situation. Our contingency fee arrangement means you pay nothing unless we recover money for you. We advance costs and match whatever resources defendants deploy against our clients.

Your civil rights matter. When someone violates them, they should face consequences. If you’ve experienced discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or other civil rights violations in New York City, contact The Bloom Firm today. We are prepared to fight for you.

Types of Civil Rights Cases We Handle

When civil rights are violated, it can affect a person’s job, housing, safety, and access to services. Fortunately, your New York City civil rights lawyer can help you get justice. At The Bloom Firm, we’ve secured millions of dollars in compensation for our clients. We’re ready to help you, next. Take a look at the cases we handle, and contact us today to get started.

Workplace Discrimination: Unequal treatment at work based on race, gender, age, disability, religion, or other protected traits may violate the law. As your civil liberties attorney can explain, these cases often involve hiring, pay, promotion, or termination decisions.

Harassment In The Workplace: Repeated conduct tied to a protected trait can create a hostile environment. Claims may arise when employers fail to address ongoing behavior that affects an employee’s ability to work.

Retaliation For Protected Activity: Speaking up about discrimination or reporting misconduct should not lead to punishment. If an employer takes negative action after a complaint, it may point to retaliation.

Police Misconduct: Individuals may have claims when law enforcement uses excessive force, conducts unlawful searches, or violates basic rights during an encounter. These cases often depend on reports, video, and witness accounts.

Wrongful Arrest Or Detention: Being detained without proper cause can lead to a claim. Your New York civil rights lawyer will look at whether there was a legal basis for the arrest and how the situation was handled.

Housing Discrimination: Landlords and property managers must follow fair housing laws. Denying housing or treating tenants differently based on protected traits may violate those rules.

Disability Rights Violations: Public places and employers must provide reasonable access and accommodations. When those accommodations are denied, it may lead to a claim. Your civil rights violation attorney can help you analyze the evidence and build a stronger case.

First Amendment Violations: People have the right to speak freely in certain settings without facing unlawful consequences. Claims may arise when a government entity limits that right without proper cause.

Unequal Treatment By Government Agencies: Public agencies are expected to treat individuals fairly. When decisions are made based on bias or without proper process, it may violate civil rights protections.

Denial Of Public Services: Access to public programs and services should not depend on protected traits. If someone is denied access unfairly, it may support a claim.

Prisoner Rights Violations: Individuals in custody still have legal rights. Claims may involve unsafe conditions, lack of medical care, or improper treatment by staff. Your civil rights case attorney can help you seek the justice you deserve.

Get In Touch With Us Today

The Bloom Firm is one of the largest victim’s rights law firms in the country. When we help our clients, we take a direct and practical approach to these matters. We review what happened, explain your options, and help you decide how to move forward. If you believe your rights have been violated, reach out to us today to discuss your situation with a New York City civil rights lawyer from our team.