Partner Barbara Hoey wrote an op-ed article in Crain’s New York Business titled “Unemployed Law Works Against Biz.” The City Council passed a law and overrode Mayor Bloomberg’s veto that prohibits employers from discriminating against the “unemployed” when they make hiring decisions. It goes into effect in June 2013. This bill allows disgruntled job applicants to sue city employers, claiming they were discriminated against because of their unemployed status. Despite the proponents of the law being well intentioned, plaintiffs’ attorneys will find a way to use this new law to generate new—and expensive—claims. Even baseless claims are costly to defend, and many business owners feel pressure to settle, even when they have done nothing wrong. The articles discusses how the law affects the hiring process for employers and the possibility business owners will not locate or think twice about starting or expanding a business in New York.