Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP

ECBAWM Secures Landmark Agreement for LGBTQ+ Students in Lawsuit Against Yeshiva University In a landmark step, Yeshiva University has agreed to recognize an LGBTQ+ student club on campus, marking a significant advance for LGBTQ+ students and their allies. The newly established club, Hareni, will operate with the same rights and protections as all other student organizations—including the ability to publicly use the term “LGBTQ+,” access university resources, choose its own leaders, and hold events on campus. Katherine Rosenfeld, Partner at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP, who represented the students, hailed the settlement as a critical achievement for LGBTQ+ rights in faith-based institutions. “The creation of Hareni is a testament to the power of students speaking out for dignity and equal treatment. It ensures that LGBTQ+ students at Yeshiva University have a recognized place on campus and can fully participate in university life just like their peers. This is a cause for celebration not just for these students, but for the ability to create spaces where all students can participate in campus life.” Max Selver, Associate at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP, who represented the students, said: “Our clients embody the courage it takes to stand up for equal treatment on campus. We are excited for them to open a new chapter in building a welcoming and inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ students on campus.” #ECBAWM Katie Rosenfeld Max Selver https://lnkd.in/gpzfJvvR Article credit: NYTimes Image credit: Jewish Telegraphic Agency

ECBAWM Partner Andrew Wilson and Client Speak on CBS News About Case Challenging NYPD Hijab Removals at Protest For Gaza On March 11, 2025, ECBAWM Partner Andrew Wilson and client Shajnin Howlader spoke to CBS News about ECBAWM's federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of New York and individual New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers for brutally assaulting and forcefully removing the hijabs of Ms. Howlader and Zarmeen Azam-- two individuals who were peacefully protesting for Gaza. Mr. Wilson--who, along with associate Hafsa S. Mansoor, Esq., represents Ms. Howlader, Ms. Azam, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, New York (CAIR-NY)--discussed how these aggressive incidents of hijab removals by the NYPD are not outliers. In recent months, several women, in addition to Ms. Howlader and Ms. Azam, have reported that NYPD officers ripped off their hijabs during protests. At least five other women have shared similar experiences with CAIR-NY from incidents last June, July, August, and September. Ms. Howlader told CBS News that this incident was humiliating for her and that no other person of any faith should experience their religious head covering ripped off by anyone. Ms. Howlader has expressed her commitment to fighting for justice for other hijabis who have faced similar assaults by the NYPD. Hafsa S. Mansoor, Esq. / Andrew Wilson https://lnkd.in/gBUUuc62

ECBAWM Files Case Challenging NYPD Hijab Removals at Protests - 3/10/25 On March 7, 2025, ECBAWM filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of New York and individual New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers on behalf of the Council on American-Islamic Relations New York (CAIR-NY), Zarmeen Azam, and Shajnin Howlader who were brutally assaulted, strangled, and had their hijabs forcefully removed by NYPD officers while peacefully protesting. The suit also seeks to bar the NYPD from forcibly and publicly removing women’s hijabs, together with compensation for the plaintiffs. CAIR-NY, Ms. Azam, and Ms. Howlader are represented by ECBAWM attorneys Andrew Wilson and Hafsa S. Mansoor. If you have experienced this NYPD policy or have evidence of it, please contact ECBAWM by visiting our website. #ECBAWM?Hafsa S. Mansoor, Esq. / Andrew Wilson https://lnkd.in/gvzFE8kb

On February 20, 2025, ECBAWM, alongside Kaufman Lieb Lebowitz & Frick LLP (KLLF), filed a lawsuit in U.S District Court for the Eastern District of New York on behalf of New York City-based nonprofit the Fair Housing Justice Center (FHJC) alleging that Defendants, CW Realty Group LLC and its architect did not comply with the accessibility requirements of federal and local laws when they designed and constructed four Brooklyn apartment buildings. The complaint alleges that FHJC conducted a testing investigation which revealed inaccessible features in each of the four buildings creating barriers for renters with physical disabilities. The complaint alleges that the Defendants’ failure to design and build accessible housing violates the federal Fair Housing Act and the New York State and City Human Rights Laws. FHJC is represented by ECBAWM partner Diane Houl and KLLF partner, Ali Frick.

Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP is seeking to hire a paralegal to begin as soon as possible.?

In his latest column, ECBAWM partner Ilann Maazel calls on lawyers and judges to resist the serious threat that Donald Trump poses to the rule of law. Read the article below.

Alongside?Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law,?Washington Council Of Lawyers, and Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP, the?Washington-based?Equal Rights Center?has filed a groundbreaking lawsuit against Meta for racially biased higher education advertising practices. According to the?lawsuit, Meta’s advertising algorithm steers for-profit college ads toward Black users while disproportionately showing public non-profit university ads to white users—a violation of the D.C. Human Rights Act and Consumer Protection Procedures Act. Many for-profit colleges have a history of leaving students with massive debt and fewer career opportunities. Black students deserve equal access to diverse higher education opportunities; they don’t deserve to be digitally redlined. Learn more about the lawsuit:?https://lnkd.in/eXFiYaXH

Federal employees are facing enormous pressure and peril in the new administration.?But they have options and protections. During the first month of the Trump Administration, the Office of Personnel Management and other agencies have sent a series of messages to members of the federal workforce warning that their jobs will change and encouraging them to quit.?On January 28, 2025, the Office of Personnel Management sent over 2 million federal employees an email with the subject line, “Fork in the Road,” containing a “deferred resignation offer” that supposedly gives employees the opportunity to declare by February 6, 2025 their intent to resign, effective on or before September 30, 2025. Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP frequently represents employees who have been victims of illegal workplace actions, both from government employers and private sector employers.?Watching these events unfold, we write now with some words of encouragement and caution to our federal public servants, which you can read here.

Three ECBAWM Clients, Sil Lai Abrams, Sherri Abernathy, and Wendy Carolina Franco, were mentioned in a recent?LA Times article, detailing?record executive Russell Simmons’s failure to pay millions of dollars under settlement agreements he reached with them, and three other women, in 2023. The article discusses confessions of judgement filed by ECBAWM in 2024, under which Simmons agreed to pay $3 million as part of confidential settlement agreements reached with the three women. In a quote to the LA Times, ECBAWM Partner Andrew Wilson said, “Each of these women entered into settlement agreements with Simmons that are binding contracts. His serial refusal to be bound by these agreements is outrageous.” Ms. Abrams, Ms. Abernathy and Ms. Franco are represented by attorneys?Andrew Wilson,?Zoe Salzman, and?Sara Luz Estela.

ECBAWM, together with Council on American-Islamic Relations, New York (CAIR-NY), has obtained a settlement for its client Kamrul Chowdhury for his claims against New York City and the New York City Police Department that includes significant policy changes to accommodate religious rights. The lawsuit, filed in in the Eastern District of New York in 2023, alleges that the NYPD violated the rights of Mr. Chowdhury, 51, by denying him his right to pray and failing to accommodate his religiously requested food for 24 hours while he was in custody in 2022. Following over a year of litigation, the NYPD has now agreed to pay Mr. Chowdhury $140,000 and to add new language to its policies that clarify the importance of accommodating religious dietary restrictions. The City has agreed to have these changes implemented within six months of the settlement agreement. Mr. Chowdhury is represented by ECBAWM attorneys?Andrew Wilson?and?Sana Mayat?and counsel from CAIR-NY.