Research


New York State Division of Human Rights Office of Counsel Subject and Correspondence Files


Some content may contain outdated and offensive terminology. See: New York State Archives Statement on Language in Descriptive Resources


Overview of the Records

Repository:

New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230

Summary:
This series consists of correspondence, memoranda, meeting minutes, reports, manuals, bulletins, training materials, complainant information sheets, staffing records, and other records which document the division's general policies, positions, strategies, and interaction with other agencies. Many records document a class action suit in which the division was ordered to clear a fourteen-year backlog of discrimination cases.
Creator:
Title:
Division of Human Rights Office of Counsel subject and correspondence files
Quantity:

51 cubic feet

Inclusive Dates:
1985-1999, 2003-2005
Series Number:
19281

Arrangement

19281-06: Unarranged.

19281-09, 19281-10, 19281-11, 19281-12: Chronological.

Scope and Content Note

This series consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence, internal memorandums, minutes of internal meetings, reports, manuals, bulletins, training materials, complainant information sheets, staffing related records, and other miscellaneous documents. Collectively, these records document the agency's general policies and positions on a wide variety of legal and operational issues; strategies regarding legal actions and issues; communications with federal and state agencies, including the Governor's office and the state legislature; and other issues that involve and affect both the Office of Counsel and the agency as a whole.

A large portion of this series documents the Division of Human Rights' involvement in a class action suit in which the division was finally ordered to take several measures to clear a massive case backlog that caused discrimination claims to be delayed as long as fourteen years. NOW-New York State and Westchester NOW were plaintiffs in the class action suit, New York State NOW v. Cuomo, later amended to NOW v. Pataki, in which Southern District Judge Robert L. Carter ruled in 1994 that the delays had the effect of violating the constitutional rights of thousands who filed complaints alleging discrimination in employment and housing.

Judge Carter ordered the state to hire staff capable of processing claims within 24-36 months and to spend more money for a special backlog case unit to resolve the backlog cases. Allegedly, many complaints were summarily dismissed with no investigation by the division in efforts to reduce its caseload. Judge Carter subsequently issued a permanent injunction to prohibit intake rules that allowed for summary dismissal of cases.

Other Finding Aids

Available at Repository

Container lists for accretions not included in this finding aid are available at the repository.

Acquisition Information

Accretions dating from 2009 and later were transferred to the New York State Archives under records disposition number 22079.

Access Restrictions

Records pertaining to discrimination cases are restricted in part. Disclosable documents include the initial complaint and the final determination. Other documents will be disclosed as permitted by the New York State Freedom of Information Law (Public Officers Law Art. 6).

Access Terms

Geographic Name(s):
Subject(s):
Genre(s):
Function(s):

Detailed Description

Dates Contents Box Folder

Accretion: 19281-09
1994 January - December General Counsel - Chronological Files 1
1995 January - June General Counsel - Chronological Files 2
1995 July - December General Counsel - Chronological Files 3
1996 January - December General Counsel - Chronological Files 4
1997 January - July General Counsel - Chronological Files 5
1997 August - December General Counsel - Chronological Files 6
1998 January - September General Counsel - Chronological Files 7
1998 October - November General Counsel - Chronological Files 8
1999 January - July General Counsel - Chronological Files 9
1999 August - December General Counsel - Chronological Files 10
2000 January - May General Counsel - Chronological Files 11
2000 June - October General Counsel - Chronological Files 12
2000 November - December General Counsel - Chronological Files 13
2001 January - June General Counsel - Chronological Files 14
2001 July - December General Counsel - Chronological Files 15
2002 January - June General Counsel - Chronological Files 16
2002 July - December General Counsel - Chronological Files 17

Accretion: 19281-10
2003 January - May General Counsel Chronological Files 1
2003 June - December General Counsel Chronological Files 2

Accretion: 19281-11
2004 January - November General Counsel Chronological Files 1
2004 December General Counsel Chronological Files 2

Accretion: 19281-12
2005 General Counsel Chronological Files 1
2005 General Counsel Chronological Files 2

Accretion: 19281-06
1990-1998 Case Closing Info 1 1
ACD File Review 1 2
1998 Contact Logs 2 1
1996-1998 Intake Logs 2 2
1997 Intake Summary 2 3
1996-1998 Intake Interview Contact Calendars 2 4
1996-1997 Walk-in Complaints/Contacts Lists 2 5
1996 Governor's Monthly Reports 3 1
1995-1996 Division Statistical Reports 3 2
1996 Division Monthly Reports 3 3
1996 Documents Requests; Intake Reviews 3 4
1999 EEOC/FEPA Annual Training Conference Attendees List 3 5
1999 Division Projects & Proposals 3 6
IAOHRA Membership Lists; FEP Agency Directory; ISO 9000 Papers 3 7
1999 Memos 3 8
Division flowcharts; Executive Retreat handouts 3 9
State Advisory Council Letters 3 10
1996 Bureau of Regional Affairs Management Audits & Reviews 3 11
Training & Staff Development handouts 3 12
1986, 1992-1998 Letters & memos 4 1
1995-1998 Personnel Investigations / Complaint Information sheets 4 2
NOW v. Pataki files 5 1
Mitchell & Titus Files 5 2
1998-1999 Legal Bureau memos 5 3
1998-1999 Regional Procedures Info. Memos 5 4
1999-2000 Audit Info. 5 5
1998-1999 Procedural /Staff Draft Proposals, Recommendations & Reports 5 6
1986-1999 Statistics & Reports 5 7
Job Descriptions & Misc. Notes 5 8
Norman Ferrer v. Pepsi-Cola Bottling Group case files 6 1
Norman Ferrer v. Mario Cuomo, et al. case file 6 2
1981, 1983, 1987, 1996 Procedural handouts & Statistics 6 3
Robert Sanstrom v. Division case files 7 1
NOW v. Cuomo documents & memos 7 2
NOW v. documents 7 3
1997 Backup ACD case sample lists 7 4
1976-1977, 1995, 1997-1998 Procedural handouts, Reports & Statistics 7 5
NOW v. Cuomo documents & memos 8 1
1996-1997 ACD & Procedural memos, Statistics 8 2
Robert Sanstrom documents & memos 8 3
1997 Backup ACD case sample lists 8 4
Fill position request forms & memos 8 5
1997 Request for Budget Director's Approval forms & memos 8 6
1995-1997 Manuals, reports & statistics 8 7
NOW v. Cuomo case files, depositions documents requests, memos & orders 9 1
Misc. case documents 9 2
Ferrer v. Pepsi-Cola case files 10 1
Division bulletins, certificates, contracts, inquiries, letters, mEmos, public vouchers, reports, & statistics 11 1
Clarice Seegars v. City of White Plains Youth Bureau documents & transcripts 12 1
Deborah Boney v. Hope Community Services, Inc. documents & transcripts 12 2
Anthony Wynne v. Hope Community Services, Inc., et al. documents 12 3
Anita Brooks v. National Medical Care Home Division, Inc. documents & exhibits 12 4
Philip Schwalbe v. Yeshiva University documents & transcripts 12 5
James Michael Campbell v. Frank Nowak Jr. documents 12 6
Michele Richmond v. Facilities Development Corp. documents 12 7
Division statistics & misc. case documents 12 8
Division reports & statistics; procedural/training handouts manuals & memos 13 1
NOW v. Cuomo documents & memos 14 1
Sanstrom v. Rosa documents 14 2
Division budget, procedural & staffing memos, reports reviews & statistics, training manuals 14 3
New York State Advisory Council files 14 4
Richard Clark v. Edward Mercado case files & documents 15 1
NOW v. Cuomo documents & memos 16 1
Complainant information sheets 16 2
Sanstrom v. Rosa documents 17 1
Division bulletins, memos, reports, statistics 17 2
NOW v. Cuomo documents 18 1
ACD File Review forms 18 2
Complainant Respondent info forms 18 3
Clark v. Mercado documents 19 1
NOW v. Cuomo documents 19 2
Legislative letters 19 3
Duplicate case files, memos, reports, statistics 19 4
NOW v. Cuomo documents 20 1
NOW v. Pataki documents 20 2
Monthly case closings 20 3
NOW v. Cuomo documents 21 1
Regional intake project (logs, memos, reports, statistics) 21 2
Complainant information/ intake forms 21 3
1989-1993 Bulletins, fact sheets, letters, memos, reports, statistics, training handouts /vouchers 22 1
Amendments of Solicitation/Modification of Contracts 22 2
NOW v. Cuomo (depositions, expert reports, interrogatories) 23 1
Division letters 23 2
Now v. Cuomo (letters, memos, statistics) 24 1
Sanstrom v. Rosa (letters, memos , statistics 24 2
Division statistics 24 3
Sanstrom v. Rosa (letters) 25 1
1990-1995 Division budget/document requests, handouts, letters, memos, reports, statistics & training manuals 25 2
NOW v. Cuomo (affidavits , answers, depositions , expert reports interrogatories, memos, motions responses) 26 1
Sanstrom v. Rosa (letters, memos, motions,) 26 2
Division handouts and manuals 26 3
NOW v. Cuomo (document requests) 27 1
Division memos, training evaluations/ handouts/manuals 27 2
Personnel letters & memos 27 3
Local HR commissions 27 4
NOW v. Cuomo (budget, staffing documents, handouts, letters, memos, reports, requests, statistics ) 28 1