New York Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Dozen Bills; Members Debate Limits on Judicial Reduction of Jury Awards

The New York State Senate Judiciary Committee met to consider a package of bills affecting court procedure, jury service, property law and voting rules, advancing most measures to the Senate floor and referring one to the finance committee.

Chair opened the session by urging members to submit bills that make the judiciary "more efficient and accessible," and stressed the panel was "not a partisan committee." The committee then took up a sequence of bills listed on the agenda and resolved motions to report most to the floor.

The most contested item, Senate print 410 (sponsor listed on the agenda as Senator Bernardes), would amend the Civil Practice Law and Rules and Executive Law to introduce a statutory standard governing when judges may reduce jury awards in unlawful employment discrimination cases. A proponent argued the change aligns New York with neighboring states and would let judges scale back awards judged "unconscionable," saying current practice has created pressure to settle because defendants expect judges to reduce awards. As one committee member summarized the sponsor's concern: "We just introduce a standard by which that review should be conducted33bringing us in line with other states." Another member cautioned the proposal might unduly restrict judicial review, saying they were "loathe to put restrictions on the court that way." After back-and-forth on whether judicial review was being removed or merely guided by a new standard, the committee moved the bill and reported it to the floor.

Other bills advanced with little extended debate. The committee reported to the floor or to specified committees the following (motions are paraphrased from the record):

Votes at a glance - Senate print 410 (Bernardes): Motion to move the bill (mover recorded in the transcript as Senator Luz; second recorded as Senator Bailey). Outcome: reported to the floor. - Senate bill 548 (Steck): authorize sale of a state parcel (Camp Gabriels Correctional Facility). Outcome: reported to the floor. - Senate print 8878 (Sepulveda): amend court filing procedure (a surrogate's-court amendment to clarify initial filings and file-number assignment was suggested). Outcome: reported to the floor. - Senate print 947 (Jackson): prohibit landlords from charging fees for ACH or online rent payments. Outcome: reported to the floor. - Senate print 1142 (Bernardis): adjust statute of limitations for employment discrimination actions. Outcome: reported to the floor. - Senate print 2627A (Kavanaugh): establish a homeowner protection program. Outcome: reported to the floor. - Senate print 3209 (Kavanaugh): address duties of skiers and snowboarders; transcript notes referral to cultural affairs. - Senate print 3231 (Bailey): concurrent resolution to allow 17-year-olds who will be 18 by the general election to vote in primaries; supporters said the change mirrors other states and encourages youth participation. Outcome: reported to the floor. - Senate print 4836A (Fagie): increase county court judges in certain jurisdictions. Outcome: referred to finance committee. - Senate print 5089 (Sephopetta): create a residential condominium owner bill (referenced as 'Obrich'). Outcome: reported to the floor. - Senate print 5288 (Sephora): clarify proper form of exhibits in civil practice. Outcome: reported to the floor. - Senate print 9037 (Sephova): allow senior citizens an option to be excused from jury duty; committee discussion identified an age cutoff of 75 and debated whether an opt-out could shrink peer representation. Outcome: reported to the floor.

During discussion on jury-service eligibility, members noted the bill gives seniors the option to opt out; one member asked, "What's the age cutoff after that?" and the response in the record was "75." On the jury-award proposal, committee debate cited published coverage and specific award examples used to illustrate the sponsor's concern that remitted awards can be insufficient recompense, including a reference in the discussion to a jury award reduced to about $1,520,000 in a harassment context.

Quotations recorded in the hearing include the chair's opening direction that "this committee, as far as I'm concerned, is not a partisan committee," and a sponsor-facing speaker who summarized the bill's intent: "We just introduce a standard by which that review should be conducted by, bringing us in line with other states like New Jersey, like Connecticut." A dissenting member worried such a standard could limit courts, saying they were "loathe to put restrictions on the court that way." These direct quotes are attributed to speakers using the functional labels preserved from the record.

The committee concluded its agenda and the chair closed the meeting, reminding members to bring bills to the chair's office for consideration. Several measures were reported to the floor and one item was referred to the finance committee for further review.

Next steps Most measures advanced by the Judiciary Committee will next appear on the Senate floor or be considered by the finance committee (for the bill referred there). The record does not show roll-call vote tallies for individual members; where the transcript records only "Aye" or "Without rec," the committee proceeded to report or refer the item as noted above.