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Some content may contain outdated and offensive terminology.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:
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 |
1996-1998 |
Intake Logs |
2 |
2 |
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 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
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 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
Now v. Cuomo (letters, memos, statistics) |
24 |
1 |
|
Sanstrom v. Rosa (letters, memos , statistics |
24 |
2 |
|
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 |