August 4, 2021

Alex Berke Quoted in Law 360 Piece on the Cuomo Sexual Misconduct Fallout

In the fallout of the New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ report on her office’s investigation into sexual harassment claims brought against Governor Cuomo, many New Yorkers and Americans are asking, “What’s next?” While the path ahead is still unclear, the report itself provides a cogent roadmap for any potential lawsuits that might come as a result of Cuomo’s actions.

Senior Associate Alex Berke was quoted in Frank Runyeon’s analysis for Law 360, which details the investigation’s potential role to play in future litigation:

A key question for Cuomo and his allies is what will follow the AG's incendiary report, Berke said.

"Even though there's this kind of bombshell report of with so many details of actions of the governor took," Berke said, barring a criminal indictment or impeachment, "all that can come next is whether or not individuals choose to bring a claim against him." If they do, she said, the report certainly provides plenty of behind-the-scenes insight that would greatly improve the specificity of a plaintiff's claims, help craft deposition questions and target discovery requests.

Potential plaintiffs "now have a lot more information about what happened than the usual employee" bringing an employment claim, Berke said. Without ever conducting discovery or deposing a witness, they can benefit from the trove of details in the report, she added.

Click to read the rest of Cuomo Sexual Misconduct Report A Road Map For Lawsuits.

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The Berke-Weiss Law Weekly Roundup: While the Outlook Darkens, We Celebrate Some Small Victories

July 31, 2020
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The clock has essentially wound down on extending assistance for the 30+ million Americans currently on the unemployment rolls. White House officials and Congressional Democrats remain miles apart, with the latter rejecting a temporary extension of the benefits. There are also huge question marks over issues we focus on, particularly child care and employment law, both of which were in the news this week and are the subject of several of the stories we feature

With the HEALS Act the Fight over Pandemic Lawsuits Takes Center Stage

July 30, 2020
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Earlier this week, Senate GOP leadership introduced their $1 trillion opening response to the $3 trillion Congressional HEROES Act, originally proposed in May. As we have noted, the signal demand coming from Mitch McConnell’s office is liability protection (the “L” in HEALS) for businesses and health care organizations. Translated, McConnell wants to prevent workers from suing employers if they contract coronavirus at work. And the GOP appears firm that without consensus on this issue, there will be no new stimulus.

The Week in FFCRA Cases Includes a Class Action Suit against the USDA

July 24, 2020
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Four cases came across the wire this week and we have chosen to highlight them all. One case is the first class action lawsuit filed under the FFCRA and concerns potentially millions of people seeking SNAP aid. The three other suits that were filed this week follow a familiar line for anyone who has been reading our updates. People are getting sick or have family members getting sick and are then denied their right to paid leave and are terminated.

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