Latest news with #LegalAidSociety
Washington Post
09-07-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
The doctor will see you now. So will the lawyer.
During my residency training, when I worked shifts in the pediatric emergency department, I treated a boy whose mother kept on bringing him back because of asthma exacerbations. Each time, we gave him nebulizers to help him breathe. Sometimes, we ordered a chest X-ray to rule out pneumonia or gave him steroids if his symptoms were especially bad. But we couldn't address a key underlying issue: the mold in his apartment that was triggering his asthma. Now, some health systems are increasingly trying to fix that limitation with an innovative tool: partnerships with nonprofit legal organizations that can address patients' social challenges. One such partnership is between the Cincinnati Children's Hospital and the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati. Robert S. Kahn, a pediatrician who co-founded the program nearly 20 years ago, told me that his hospital was the first health system in the country to build a referral for legal assistance directly into their electronic health record. With just a few clicks, clinicians can refer the patient to a child health lawyer, just as they would a pulmonologist or other medical specialist. If the problem is unhealthy living conditions, the lawyer could send a formal letter to the landlord citing breach of lease obligations and demand timely repairs. They could contact the city housing department and request inspections to document violations. If necessary, they could sue the landlord. Throughout the process, they make sure that the family is not retaliated against and evicted. The investigations frequently identified other families struggling with the same issue. In large multiunit apartments, a dozen or more children could be suffering asthma exacerbations from the same environmental trigger. 'The answer isn't to give more medications to one kid,' Kahn said. 'It's to make sure that the property owner is addressing the fundamental issues of roof leakage and mold.' He cited other cases: A child with multiple medical conditions was living in a home without a refrigerator or working air conditioner. So a legal advocate filed a complaint with the city that pressured the landlord to fix those problems. A new mom was discharged without resources to feed herself or her newborn, so a legal team helped her secure food assistance benefits. In fact, the team recognized that mother was part of a pattern, so they worked directly with the state's social services department to identify barriers and change procedures. The improved process now helps as many as 150 families per month. To Kahn, finding patterns and advocating for policy change is an important distinction between legal aid and social work referrals, which generally focus on helping patients one at a time. Social workers can provide invaluable services to assist patients with navigating bureaucracies and connecting them to resources; lawyers can step in when those systems fail and use legal remedies to protect families' rights. Such advocacy works. A study of Cincinnati's partnership found that nearly 90 percent of referrals resulted in positive legal outcomes. Another concluded that children who were referred to legal intervention had a nearly 38 percent lower hospitalization rate compared to those who did not use the service. A separate analysis of a similar program in New York City reported a decline in the number of asthma-related emergency department and hospital admissions. And in southeastern Pennsylvania, researchers estimated that a medical-legal partnership in the area saved $11 for every $1 invested. The value of legal advocacy goes beyond addressing direct health threats. Lawyers can help clear criminal records and correct credit reports, making it easier for patients to secure employment and stable housing. They can appeal denials of health insurance and protect families from utility shutoffs to keep them from having to choose between medical care and basic needs. Legal teams can also secure specialized education services for children with disabilities and learning needs, helping them to stay healthy down the line. The National Center for Medical-Legal Partnerships estimates that several hundred such collaborations exist across the country, including at 37 children's hospitals. Far more are needed, especially as our understanding of how social factors affect health continues to evolve. Kahn told me that when he first started the partnership, some clinicians questioned why they shouldn't just focus on medical treatments. But after seeing the tangible benefits of working with legal partners, their mindset shifted. Now. instead of asking why, he explained, they are saying, 'How can we not do this?' Cincinnati's experience embodies the broader realization that improving people's health lies beyond just in the clinic: We must also transform the policies and systems that shape people's daily lives.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Yahoo
NY prisons must comply with law limiting solitary confinement, judge says
NEW YORK — A state judge in Albany granted a temporary injunction forcing New York State to fully implement a law sharply limiting solitary confinement in the prisons after elements of the law were suspended following the 22-day prison guards strike earlier this year, court records show. Judge Daniel Lynch ruled the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision could not invoke emergency provisions to suspend the so-called HALT Solitary Confinement Act and keep inmates in their cells more than 17 hours a days or suspend programming and recreation in the prisons. 'The court understands the defendants' concerns regarding DOCCS staffing and the resulting safety risks,' Lynch wrote. 'However HALT is a duly enacted law and the people have a strong interest in seeing the implementation of laws enacted by their elected representatives.' Lynch set July 11 as the date the order would become effective, in order to give prison officials time to adjust, he wrote. 'The department is reviewing the decision,' DOCCS spokesman Thomas Mailey said. The initial class action lawsuit, Alfonso Smalls vs. DOCCS Commissioner Daniel Martuscello, was filed by the Legal Aid Society on April 17 after Martuscello ordered elements of HALT suspended Feb. 20 due to the strike. When the prison guards strike ended on March 10, Gov. Kathy Hochul fired roughly 2,000 officers who had refused to return to work — increasing an already existing staffing gap. But the law's suspension meant that inmates were being kept in their cells longer than the law allows, isolated and deprived of basic services, the lawsuit alleged. Smalls, the lawsuit alleges, was isolated in his cell for 22 to 24 hours a day from Feb. 20 through at least April 17, when the suit was filed. During the prison guards' strike, he was locked in 24 hours a day, allowed to leave only for three 8-minute showers, the society said. After the strike ended, Smalls was allowed to leave his cell for just 90 minutes to one hour and 45 minutes a day. 'We are grateful that the court recognized the grave harm caused by DOCCS's unlawful suspension of the HALT Solitary Law and acted to stop it,' said Antony Gemmell, supervising attorney with the Prisoners' Rights Project at The Legal Aid Society. 'This decision reaffirms that no agency — regardless of political pressure — can unilaterally disregard laws enacted to protect human rights,' he said. 'HALT was passed to end the torture of prolonged solitary confinement, and this injunction is a critical step toward ensuring the state honors that commitment and upholds the dignity of those in its custody.'
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Yahoo
NY prisons must comply with law limiting solitary confinement, judge says
NEW YORK — A state judge in Albany granted a temporary injunction forcing New York State to fully implement a law sharply limiting solitary confinement in the prisons after elements of the law were suspended following the 22-day prison guards strike earlier this year, court records show. Judge Daniel Lynch ruled the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision could not invoke emergency provisions to suspend the so-called HALT Solitary Confinement Act and keep inmates in their cells more than 17 hours a days or suspend programming and recreation in the prisons. 'The court understands the defendants' concerns regarding DOCCS staffing and the resulting safety risks,' Lynch wrote. 'However HALT is a duly enacted law and the people have a strong interest in seeing the implementation of laws enacted by their elected representatives.' Lynch set July 11 as the date the order would become effective, in order to give prison officials time to adjust, he wrote. 'The department is reviewing the decision,' DOCCS spokesman Thomas Mailey said. The initial class action lawsuit, Alfonso Smalls vs. DOCCS Commissioner Daniel Martuscello, was filed by the Legal Aid Society on April 17 after Martuscello ordered elements of HALT suspended Feb. 20 due to the strike. When the prison guards strike ended on March 10, Gov. Kathy Hochul fired roughly 2,000 officers who had refused to return to work — increasing an already existing staffing gap. But the law's suspension meant that inmates were being kept in their cells longer than the law allows, isolated and deprived of basic services, the lawsuit alleged. Smalls, the lawsuit alleges, was isolated in his cell for 22 to 24 hours a day from Feb. 20 through at least April 17, when the suit was filed. During the prison guards' strike, he was locked in 24 hours a day, allowed to leave only for three 8-minute showers, the society said. After the strike ended, Smalls was allowed to leave his cell for just 90 minutes to one hour and 45 minutes a day. 'We are grateful that the court recognized the grave harm caused by DOCCS's unlawful suspension of the HALT Solitary Law and acted to stop it,' said Antony Gemmell, supervising attorney with the Prisoners' Rights Project at The Legal Aid Society. 'This decision reaffirms that no agency — regardless of political pressure — can unilaterally disregard laws enacted to protect human rights,' he said. 'HALT was passed to end the torture of prolonged solitary confinement, and this injunction is a critical step toward ensuring the state honors that commitment and upholds the dignity of those in its custody.'
Time Out
01-07-2025
- Business
- Time Out
Yes, rents will officially increase for 2 million New Yorkers—here's who
It's official—New York's rent-stabilized tenants are getting hit with another rent hike. In a 5–4 vote Monday night, the NYC Rent Guidelines Board approved increases of 3-percent for one-year leases and 4.5-percent for two-year leases, impacting over one million apartments across the five boroughs starting Oct. 1. That's roughly 2 million residents who'll be digging deeper into their wallets this fall. The annual vote, always a flashpoint in the city's affordability crisis, drew fierce protests from tenants and housing advocates, who packed the meeting at El Museo del Barrio in East Harlem chanting 'Freeze the rent!' Mayor Eric Adams, who appointed the board members, had urged more modest increases (1.75-percent and 3.75-percent), but tenant advocates say even that would have been too much. Adams' mayoral rival Zohran Mamdani—fresh off a lead in the Democratic primary—blasted the hike as yet another example of the mayor 'placating real estate donors' and doubled down on his campaign promise to freeze rents if elected. Even landlords weren't pleased. While tenant reps on the board voted no because the increase was too high, landlord reps also voted no, because it wasn't high enough to offset skyrocketing insurance and maintenance costs. City Comptroller Brad Lander called the increase 'unaffordable' and the Legal Aid Society warned it would deepen homelessness and displacement. For stabilized renters, whose average rent hovers around $1,500 (compared to $2,000 for market-rate units), the bump adds strain in an already brutal housing market. And in case you're wondering: No, this doesn't apply to everyone. These increases affect only those in rent-stabilized apartments renewing leases on or after Oct. 1. If you're in a stabilized hotel or SRO unit, your rent stays flat.
Reuters
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
NYC legal aid union defeats lawsuit by Jewish lawyers over Israel criticisms
June 30 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Manhattan on Monday dismissed, opens new taba lawsuit brought by two Jewish lawyers working for New York's Legal Aid Society who said they should not be forced to pay dues to their union after it accused Israel of "ethnic cleansing and genocide" in Gaza. Arnold Levine and Allen Popper alleged in their lawsuit that their constitutional rights were violated by being required to pay dues to support advocacy they opposed by state-supported organizations. But U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel said that the union and Legal Aid Society are private entities that are not subject to the attorneys' civil rights claims. The U.S. Supreme Court and the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals "have repeatedly concluded that public defenders, legal aid societies, and other legal-services providers that rely on public funding do not perform traditional public functions that make them state actors for section 1983 purposes," Castel said in his ruling. Castel also dismissed the lawyers' claims against New York City, finding that the city played no role in hiring Levine and Popper or in the drafting of a December 2023 resolution by the local chapter of the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys that criticized Israeli "apartheid" and called for a ceasefire. "We are pleased that in dismissing the complaint, the court agreed with our position that it had no merit," said Twyla Carter, the attorney-in-chief and chief executive officer at the Legal Aid Society. Jeffrey Schwab of the conservative Liberty Justice Center, which represented Levine and Popper, said they plan to appeal. "Our clients who serve New York City as public defenders should not be forced to join or pay a union — especially one that advocates for points of view they find deeply offensive — as a condition of their job," Schwab said in a statement. Spokespersons for the ALAA and the New York City Law Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The ALAA is an affiliate of the United Auto Workers union that represents about 2,700 lawyers working for New York-area groups, including The Legal Aid Society, that represent indigent defendants. New York City contracts with Legal Aid and other groups for those services. In the lawsuit, Levine said he had sought to stop paying dues to the union because of what he perceived as antisemitism by its leadership. ALAA informed Levine that while he could opt out of union membership, he was required to pay so-called agency fees to fund collective bargaining. The ALAA's resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza prompted another lawsuit brought by other union members who said they were retaliated against for opposing it. Those lawyers, who work at the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County, slammed the resolution as being "objectively antisemitic." That lawsuit, filed by Ilana Kopmar, Diane Clarke and Isaac Altman, is still pending in Manhattan federal court before U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken.
