Second Circuit Clarifies Scope of Marital Status Discrimination Under New York City Human Rights Law
KEY TAKEAWAYS In Hunter v. Debmar-Mercury , the Second Circuit clarified the scope of marital status discrimination under the New York City Human Rights Law Marital status discrimination refers to discrimination based on an employee’s status as married, unmarried, or divorced, and not on an employee’s relationship to a specific person Employers should be mindful not to discriminate when making employment decisions, regardless of an employee’s marital status The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on April 8, 2025, clarified the scope of “marital status” discrimination under the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL) . In Hunter v. Debmar-Mercury LLC, et al. , the Second Circuit held that discrimination based on “marital status” refers to discrimination based on an individual’s status as married, or not, and does not extend to employment decisions based on an individual’s relationship to a particular person. In Hunter , the plaintiff served as the executive pr...