New Initiative Looks to Have NYC Bring More Impact Litigation
Two new positions and a new committee inside the Law Department will look to target areas of litigation to promote social policies.
March 20, 2018 at 04:45 PM
2 minute read
New York City's law department plans to look for ways to bring more social justice and impact litigation going forward, according to a new strategic advocacy initiative announced earlier this week.
According to Corporation Counsel Zachary Carter, the new initiative will build on the three decades of work protecting the city's interest. To achieve this, the department is placing two attorneys into newly created positions, with a just-formed departmentwide committee looking for areas on which to focus.
Tonya Jenerette, a senior counsel in the Law Department's affirmative litigation division, has been promoted to the new position of deputy division chief for strategic litigation.
Kaitlin Caruso, a senior counsel in the Law Department's legal counsel division, has been elevated to the position of senior counsel for strategic advocacy.
“The individuals we have appointed are uniquely qualified to strengthen our proactive litigation program and explore potential cases to affect positive change for New Yorkers,” Carter said in a statement.
Caruso will be the director of the new strategic advocacy committee, while Jenerette will serve on it. The committee will be made up of Law Department executive staff members, division chiefs and senior attorneys from a cross section of internal divisions. Mayor Bill de Blasio's acting counsel, Paul Rodriguez, will also sit on the committee.
According to the department, affirmative litigation efforts over the years have been more reactive, with litigation opportunities being taken as they arose. This new effort will be more proactive, seeking to find new litigation opportunities, with two designated staff members actively pursuing new opportunities.
The department noted a number of prior pieces of litigation as examples of what to expect. The city's $247 million win last year before U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest of the Southern District of New York against UPS for illegally shipping cigarettes, as well as the suit announced earlier this year against opioid manufacturers, were the kinds of suits the city pointed to. So, too, was the recently filed suit against five energy companies over their role in climate change.
In a statement, Caruso said she was honored to be part of the initiative, “especially at a time when local engagement is more critical than ever.”
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