News

LEGAL ISSUES CONCERNING ANIMALS AND THE MILITARY

On July 21, 2018 Bari Wolf helped organize and moderate a New York City Bar event called “Legal Issues Concerning Animals and the Military” featuring expert panelists on the topic. The military and animals have a long history, affecting current issues involving the use of animals to assist veterans as well as the enforcement of animal cruelty crimes on military bases. This panel of experts addressed the clinical and legal perspective on programs in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) working with animals to assist veterans with post deployment issues (e.g. PTSD), issues with veterans acquiring service dogs, the canine research program recently defunded by the VA, and pending legislation like the PAWS Act. They also discussed the 2016 changes to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, authorizing prosecution of animal cruelty crimes stemming from high profile cases of dog cruelty on military bases. More information can be found on the NYC Bar Animal Committee page or by visiting the “Legal Issues Concerning Animals and the Military” event page”

FIRM PARTNER A PANELIST AT CIVIL RIGHTS ROUND TABLE AT NEW YORK LAW SCHOOL AND SPONSORED BY THE DEPT. OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

June 6th, 2011 Mr. Vernon was invited to be a panelist at the first annual conference of the Civil Rights Roundtable, in which participants included the Dept. of Justice, the Dept. of Education, and the New York State Division of Human Rights. The program was well attended, and the guest speaker was Soledad O'Brien. The accomplished goal of the program was in educating the public about various changes in the disability laws.

���TO USE AND ENJOY��� ��� HOUSING RIGHTS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

March 1st, 2010 Co-sponsored by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and the New York State Division of Human Rights, and as part of Fair Housing Month this coming April, Mr. Vernon will be a speaker at a program titled ���To Use and Enjoy��� ��� Housing Rights for Persons with Disabilities. The program, designed for attorneys at the Division of Human Rights, runs from April 27 to 29, 2010. Mr. Vernon will speak on Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 2:45 P.M.

CO-OP OWNER WINS RIGHT TO KEEP COMPANION ANIMAL UNDER THE 3 MONTH RULE

February 23rd, 2010 On behalf of a co-op owner, the firm���s motion for summary judgment was granted when we demonstrated that the co-op did not timely commence the proceeding under the requirements of �27-2009.1 of the Administrative Code of the City of New York (sometimes referred to as the ���Pet Law��� or ���three month rule���). Vernon & Ginsburg, LLP represented respondents Roman & Valiantsina Portnov, whose open and notorious harboring of their dog had begun, the court found, more than three months prior to the landlord���s serving a notice of petition and petition, thus triggering a waiver of any no-pet lease clause under the Pet Law. ���By waiting to serve the Notice of Petition and Petition after it first became aware of the dog���s existence, petitioner acted at its own peril, notwithstanding that it gave the respondents the benefit of the doubt,��� Civil Court Judge George M. Heymann wrote in 2229-13 Apt. Corp. v. Portnov.. The court noted further that ���[p]erhaps [the landlord] should have heeded the adage: ���shoot first, ask questions later.��� Had petitioner taken the precautionary and affirmative steps of timely commencing this proceeding at the outset, the waiver provision of the ���Pet Law��� would not have come into play.��� The decision appeared in the decisions of interest section of the New York Law Journal on January 21, 2010.

THE LAWS AFFECTING HOUSING & COMPANION ANIMALS

September 1st, 2009 On December 7, 2009, Mr. Vernon chaired a seminar at the New York City Bar Center for CLE discussing issues concerning companion animals in housing in New York. The applicable federal, state and local laws were examined, including �27-2009.1 of the Administrative Code of the City of New York, laws relating to discrimination and the disabled, and statutory and case law generally applicable to housing. Cooperative, condominium, as well as rent-regulated housing were discussed. Course materials, CD and DVD versions are available on the City Bar website.