N.Y. Civil Practice Law & Rules § 5252: Discrimination against employees and prospective employees based upon wage assignment or income execution

§ 5252. Discrimination against employees and prospective employees

based upon wage assignment or income execution. 1. No employer shall

discharge, lay off, refuse to promote, or discipline an employee, or

refuse to hire a prospective employee, because one or more wage

assignments or income executions have been served upon such employer or

a former employer against the employee's or prospective employee's wages

or because of the pendency of any action or judgment against such

employee or prospective employee for nonpayment of any alleged

contractual obligation. In addition to being subject to the civil action

authorized in subdivision two of this section, where any employer

discharges, lays off, refuses to promote or disciplines an employee or

refuses to hire a prospective employee because of the existence of one

or more income executions and/or income deduction orders issued pursuant

to section fifty-two hundred forty-one or fifty-two hundred forty-two of

this article, the court may direct the payment of a civil penalty not to

exceed five hundred dollars for the first instance and one thousand

dollars per instance for the second and subsequent instances of employer

or income payor discrimination. The penalty shall be paid to the

creditor and may be enforced in the same manner as a civil judgment or

in any other manner permitted by law.

2. An employee or prospective employee may institute a civil action

for damages for wages lost as a result of a violation of this section

within ninety days after such violation. Damages recoverable shall not

exceed lost wages for six weeks and in such action the court also may

order the reinstatement of such discharged employee or the hiring of

such prospective employee. Except as provided for in subdivision (g) of

section fifty-two hundred forty-one, not more than ten per centum of the

damages recovered in such action shall be subject to any claims,

attachments or executions by any creditors, judgment creditors or

assignees of such employee or prospective employee. A violation of this

section may also be punished as a contempt of court pursuant to the

provisions of section seven hundred fifty-three of the judiciary law.