NY Beggars Granted Class Action Status
Legal News Center
A U.S. District Court Judge dismissed on Wednesday the arguments by New York City lawyers and granted six panhandlers to proceed with a class action against the state and local law-enforcement agencies accused of making thousands of illegal arrests under a defunct law.
Class action status means thousands of state's panhandlers with a similar complaint can join the suit and could be included in any monetary judgment.
Judge Shira Scheindlin said that granting class action status was the only way to stop the state-wide enforcement of an anti-begging law that was ruled unconstitutional in 1992, but since then has been used in over 10,000 arrests and prosecutions across the entire state.
"We're looking forward to putting an end to this practice," said Matthew Brinckerhoff, the beggars' lawyer.
The city lawyers had contended that the plaintiffs were unfit to represent such a large group in a class action suit, due to mental illness and drug addiction.
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Is Now the Time to Really Call a Special Education Lawyer?
IDEA, FAPE, CHILD FIND and IEPs: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees all children with disabilities to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). FAPE starts with a school’s responsibility to identify that a child has a disability (Child Find) and create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to suit the needs of the child.
Forte Law Group is one of only a very few law firms within the state of Connecticut that is dedicated to exclusively representing families and children with special needs.
Parents need to be persistent, dedicated and above all else aware of the many services and accommodations that their child is entitled to under the law. As early as this point within your child’s special education, many parents will often find themselves in the situation asking, “is now the time to really call a special education lawyer?” Here are a few things to consider when asking yourself that question.