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Lauren P. Raysor Files Complaint on Behalf of Man Falsely Arrested for Drug Sale and Possession

MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK — On November 21, 2020, attorney Lauren P. Raysor held a press conference in front of the Law Offices of Lauren P. Raysor to announce that she has filed a complaint on behalf of Gordon Tarrant, a Mount Vernon resident who claims he was falsely arrested for sale and possession of drugs. The defendants named in this case include the City of Mount Vernon and Westchester County Police Departments and members of the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and Mount Vernon Police Officer Carmelo Antonini.

Attorney Lauren P. Raysor (left) listens to her client, Gordon Tarrant (right), address the media about being falsely arrested for drug sale and possession during a press conference that was held in front of Ms. Raysor’s office on November 21.
(Photo Courtesy of Black Westchester)

On the morning of April 26, 2018, Mr. Tarrant was in his Mount Vernon apartment when he heard a loud pounding at the door. He looked out the window and saw officers from the Mount Vernon and Westchester County Police Departments. They identified themselves as “parole, probation and pardon services.” As he answered the door, officers told him to drop the phone, threw him against the wall and handcuffed him. Mr. Tarrant asked about a warrant for his arrest, but it was never produced.

After being searched twice, Mr. Tarrant was transported to the Mount Vernon Police Station and booked on charges of Bail Jumping in the Third Degree, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree and Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. The charges were dismissed by the DA’s office.

The Plaintiff is seeking damages resulting from violations of his rights to be free from an unreasonable search and seizure; violation of his rights to Due Process of Law; violation of his New York State constitutional rights; physical pain and suffering; emotional trauma and suffering, including fear, embarrassment, humiliation, emotional distress, frustration, extreme inconvenience and anxiety; and loss of liberty.

“Police Officer Antonini, among others, and the Westchester County Police Department, together with the Westchester County District Attorney’s office, conspired to imprison a man and violate his civil and constitutional rights,” Ms. Raysor said. “The officers and the DA’s office need to be held responsible for this miscarriage of justice.”

For more information, call (914) 733-8080 or visit www.laurenpraysor.com.

 

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About Lauren P. Raysor

Lauren P. Raysor is an attorney concentrating in personal injury, civil rights, bankruptcy, matrimonial and family law. She has litigated numerous cases over the years, taking more than 35 cases to verdict and has argued before the Appellate Division in the case of Makeda Barnes Joseph v. Universal Music Group. She served as Corporation Counsel for the City of Mount Vernon, where she was in charge of the city’s Law Department. Ms. Raysor is currently outside counsel for the New York State Dormitory Authority, and served as the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Upper Manhattan Region, outside counsel to the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone and counsel at a Wall Street law firm.

MEDIA ADVISORY For Saturday, November 21, 2020: Lauren P. Raysor Files Complaint on Behalf of Mount Vernon Resident Who Was Falsely Arrested in Case of Mistaken Identity

Who:      Attorney Lauren P. Raysor, Esq., Principal, Lauren P. Raysor, Attorney at Law

Gordon Tarrant, Ms. Raysor’s client

Members of Mr. Tarrant’s family

 

What:     Lauren P. Raysor, Esq., Principal, Lauren P. Raysor, Attorney at Law, will hold a press conference to announce that she has filed a complaint on behalf of Gordon Tarrant, a Mount Vernon resident. The complaint alleges that Mr. Tarrant was falsely arrested in a case of mistaken identity, but was prosecuted anyway.

On the morning of April 26, 2018, Mr. Tarrant was in his Mount Vernon apartment when he heard a loud pounding at the door. He looked out the window and saw officers from the City of Mount Vernon and Westchester County Police Departments. They identified themselves as “parole, probation and pardon services,” although the Plaintiff was not on parole or probation. As he answered the door, officers threw him against the wall, handcuffed him and arrested him without a warrant.

After being searched twice, Mr. Tarrant was transported to the Mount Vernon Police Station and booked on charges of Bail Jumping in the Third Degree, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree and Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. He spent seven hours in jail before appearing in court.

After his arrest, the Plaintiff received documentation about his arrest containing the wrong address and date of birth. Over the course of many years, Mr. Tarrant appeared in court approximately 20 times before the charges were dismissed.

The Plaintiff is seeking damages for violations of his civil and constitutional rights, physical and emotional pain and suffering and loss of liberty.

 

When:     Saturday, November 21, 2020

11 a.m.

 

Where:   Lauren P. Raysor, Attorney at Law

Roosevelt Professional Building, 11 West Prospect Avenue

Mount Vernon, NY

 

Directions: From I-95 N: Take Exit 9 to Hutchinson Pkwy N. Stay on Hutchinson Pkwy. N. and take Exit 12 toward East Lincoln Ave./Mount Vernon/Pelham. Turn left onto First Ave., then another left onto 84/Lincoln Ave. After 0.4 mile, take another left onto Darwood Pl. Go 0.2 mile, then go right onto E. Sidney Ave. Make a left onto Gramatan Ave., then a right onto W. Prospect Ave. Law office is on the right-hand side.

 

Photo Ops: Ms. Raysor joined by Mr. Tarrant and his family.

 

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About Lauren P. Raysor

Lauren P. Raysor is an attorney concentrating in personal injury, civil rights, bankruptcy, matrimonial and family law. She has litigated numerous cases over the years, taking more than 35 cases to verdict and has argued before the Appellate Division in the case of Makeda Barnes Joseph v. Universal Music Group. She served as Corporation Counsel for the City of Mount Vernon, where she was in charge of the city’s Law Department. Ms. Raysor is currently outside counsel for the New York State Dormitory Authority, and served as the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Upper Manhattan Region, outside counsel to the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone and counsel at a Wall Street law firm.

 

Scott Handwerker Joins Twomey, Latham, Shea, Kelley, Dubin & Quartararo, LLP as Of Counsel

RIVERHEAD, NEW YORK — Twomey, Latham, Shea, Kelley, Dubin & Quartararo, LLP (“Twomey Latham” or the “Firm”) has announced

Scott Handwerker
Scott Handwerker

that Scott Handwerker has joined the Firm as Of Counsel.

Mr. Handwerker concentrates his practice in corporate law, emerging growth companies, mergers and acquisitions (“M&A”) and private equity. In his new position, he will be a member of the Firm’s Business and Corporate Law group and help the Firm continue to expand with its newly formed venture capital practice.

“I am absolutely delighted to join Twomey Latham and I look forward to helping the Firm grow its well- established corporate practice,” Mr. Handwerker said. “I am especially excited to assist the Firm in expanding its work with startup companies and venture capital funds.”

Mr. Handwerker has strong roots on the East End. Beginning at fourteen years old, he spent three summers working as a Beach Boy at the Amagansett Beach Association. After turning sixteen and being eligible to take the ocean lifeguard test, Mr. Handwerker spent the following six summers as an ocean lifeguard in East Hampton, Amagansett and Montauk. “I fell in love with the ocean from my first summers out on the East End as a child,” he said, “so it was only natural for me to take a job that put me on the beach for eight hours a day, six days a week during the summers.”

Between Mr. Handwerker’s undergraduate and legal degrees, he spent two years working as a bartender and manager at the Living Room Restaurant in East Hampton, which is where he began studying wine, one of his deepest passions.

Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Handwerker was an Associate with Goodwin Procter LLP in Manhattan. He was a member of the firm’s Business Law department and its Private Equity and Debt Finance groups. He started his career with Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP in Manhattan as a member of its Corporate group. Two months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Handwerker relocated full-time to his home in East Hampton and quickly realized that he wanted to join an outstanding East End-based firm with a diverse set of practice areas. “Twomey Latham is in a league of its own on the East End,” he said.

He is admitted to practice in New York and is a member of the New York State and New York City Bar Associations. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude from Emory University and his Juris Doctor degree from Fordham University School of Law.

“We are proud to welcome Scott to the Firm,” said Stephen Latham, Senior Counsel, Twomey Latham. “He brings a high level of expertise that allows us to add another facet to our Business and Corporate Law group.”

For more information, call (631) 727-2180 or visit www.suffolklaw.com.

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* A photo of Mr. Handwerker is attached.

About Twomey Latham

Twomey, Latham, Shea, Kelley, Dubin & Quartararo, LLP is a full-service law firm with a 65-person staff with over 30 attorneys, paralegals and legal assistants in five offices across Long Island. The firm’s practice areas include Business and Corporate Law, Labor and Employment, Insurance, Banking, Commercial Litigation, Taxation, Trademark and Copyright, Environmental Law, Real Estate Development and Transactions, Construction, Land Use and Zoning, Municipal Law, Personal Injury, Immigration, Arts and Entertainment, Wills Trusts and Estates, Estate Litigation, Elder Law, Family and Matrimonial Law, and Not-For-Profit Law.

Twomey, Latham, Shea, Kelley, Dubin & Quartararo, LLP Welcomes Martha Reichert as Its New Associate

Martha Reichert

RIVERHEAD, NEW YORK — Twomey, Latham, Shea, Kelley, Dubin & Quartararo, LLP (“Twomey Latham” or “The Firm”) has announced that Martha Reichert has joined the Firm as an Associate.

Ms. Reichert concentrates her practice in real estate and land use. She has extensive experience appearing before municipal and regulatory boards throughout eastern Long Island. Prior to joining the Firm, she had her own practice, the Law Office of Martha F. Reichert, in Hampton Bays. She appeared and represented clients before the Town of East Hampton, the Villages of East Hampton, Sagaponack and North Haven, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Suffolk County Department of Health Services. Before forming her own practice, she was Assistant Town Attorney for the Town of Southampton.

Ms. Reichert is a member of the New York State and Suffolk County Bar Associations. She is admitted to practice in the state of New York and before all state courts. In addition, she is Vice President of the Montauk Historical Society, a Member of the Hampton Bays Citizens Advisory Committee and a Co-Founder of the Montauk Community Garden.

A resident of Hampton Bays, Ms. Reichert grew up in Montauk, where her family owned a marina. “It should come as no surprise that my first word was ‘fish,’” she said. “Like most people who fall in love with Montauk and the East End, I am drawn to the water and love nothing more than exploring Montauk’s rugged coastline and the many trails running through its woods.”

As a child, she would take rides with her father in his private plane before going to school. She remembered looking below and seeing the East End’s natural beauty. “I believe that gave me a unique perspective on the vast expanses of farmland and forests that existed on the East End at that time and undoubtedly influenced my passions for land use, planning, and land conservation,” she said.

Ms. Reichert earned her Bachelor’s degree from Hunter College, where she graduated summa cum laude, and her Juris Doctor degree from Brooklyn Law School.

“I am very excited to join Twomey Latham,” Ms. Reichert said. “The Firm has an excellent reputation and has expanded its practice throughout Long Island. I look forward to being part of that growth as we provide the best service to our clients.”

“We are proud to welcome Martha to the Firm,” said Stephen Latham, Senior Counsel, Twomey Latham. “The East End real estate market has really taken off this year, creating new opportunities for the Firm. Ms. Reichert’s experience in dealing with municipalities and government agencies will be an asset to our land use and real estate practices.”

For more information, call (631) 727-2180 or visit www.suffolklaw.com.

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* Photo of Ms. Reichert is attached.

About Twomey Latham

Twomey, Latham, Shea, Kelley, Dubin & Quartararo, LLP is a full-service law firm with a 65-person staff with over 30 attorneys, paralegals and legal assistants in five offices across Long Island. The firm’s practice areas include Business and Corporate Law, Labor and Employment, Insurance, Banking, Commercial Litigation, Taxation, Trademark and Copyright, Environmental Law, Real Estate Development and Transactions, Construction, Land Use and Zoning, Municipal Law, Personal Injury, Immigration, Arts and Entertainment, Wills Trusts and Estates, Estate Litigation, Elder Law, Family and Matrimonial Law, and Not-For-Profit Law.

SUPER LAWYERS RECOGNIZES BRIAN ANDREW TULLY OF TULLY LAW GROUP, PC FOR TENTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

Melville, NY — Brian Andrew Tully, founder of Tully Law Group, PC, was selected to the 2020 New York Metro Super Lawyers list. He was recognized in the practice areas of Elder Law and Estate Planning & Probate for the tenth straight year. New York Metro Super Lawyers is an exclusive list, with no more than 5% of attorneys are selected.

Brian Andrew Tully

Mr. Tully has been helping families with their aging and elder care law needs since 1998 and is a member of the Suffolk County and New York State Bar Associations. In addition, Mr. Tully is certified as an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation and concentrates his law practice on life care planning, elder law, estate planning, Medicaid benefits and asset protection. He is accredited by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to represent and assist veterans and their spouses in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims for benefits, including the Aid and Attendance Pension.

He is currently serving on the national Board of Directors for the Life Care Planning Law Firms Association, which supports elder care law firms that focus on the legal and care needs of their aging clientele.

In 2004, he founded the ElderCare Resource Center, Inc., whose mission is to be a community resource for support, answers, and expertise in advance planning and informed decision-making about present and future long-term healthcare. The Suffolk Nassau Regional Business Partnership voted the ElderCare Resource Center as Educational Business of the Year in 2005.

In addition to his practice, Mr. Tully has been a guest speaker before numerous organizations, providing information about the financial and legal resources Long Island caregivers can utilize to provide optimal long-term care to their loved ones.

“This recognition reflects the dedication and effort the firm puts in every day for our clients,” Mr. Tully said. “Only a small percentage of attorneys are chosen, and each nominee goes through a very thorough screening process. I am glad to have been chosen as a member of this elite group.”

The Super Lawyers list is issued by Thomson Reuters. A description of the selection methodology can be found at https://www.superlawyers.com/about/selection_process.html. No aspect of this article has been approved by the Courts of the State of New York.

For more information, call (631) 424-2800 or visit www.tullyelderlaw.com.

 

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Lauren P. Raysor Announces Rally for Police Reform in Mount Vernon

MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK — Attorney Lauren P. Raysor has announced that a rally calling for the reform of the Mount Vernon Police Department will take place at the front steps of Mount Vernon City Hall, 1 Roosevelt Square, Mount Vernon on Saturday, October 17 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Ms. Raysor, the former Mount Vernon City Attorney and Assistant New York State Attorney General, founded the Mount Vernon Coalition for Police Reform, a coalition of former police officers, civil rights attorneys, former city officials and other members of the community seeking ways to improve the practices of the Mount Vernon Police Department. Last month, she presented the group’s preliminary findings showing an overall distrust of its officers as a result of police violence and misconduct. The findings also list a series of recommendations to improve relations between police and the community.

Those in attendance will be required to wear masks and practice social distancing.

“We have to let our elected officials know that there are systemic problems in the Mount Vernon Police Department,” Ms. Raysor said. “We are urging everyone to come out to the rally and make their voices heard. Our city officials must listen to the people and fix these problems that have plagued this department for far too long.”

For more information, call (914) 733-8080 or visit www.laurenpraysor.com.

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About Lauren P. Raysor

Lauren P. Raysor is an attorney concentrating in personal injury, civil rights, bankruptcy, matrimonial and family law. She has litigated numerous cases over the years, taking more than 35 cases to verdict and has argued before the Appellate Division in the case of Makeda Barnes Joseph v. Universal Music Group. She served as Corporation Counsel for the City of Mount Vernon, where she was in charge of the city’s Law Department. Ms. Raysor is currently outside counsel for the New York State Dormitory Authority, and served as the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Upper Manhattan Region, outside counsel to the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone and counsel at a Wall Street law firm.

Jeffrey W. Pagano Comments on Changes to New York State’s Sick Leave Law

RIVERHEAD, NEW YORK — Jeffrey W. Pagano, Partner, Twomey, Latham, Shea, Kelley, Dubin & Quartararo, LLP, says employers in New York State must now comply with the new requirements of the state’s Sick Leave Law that was introduced in New York’s 2021 budget. He also urges companies to seek assistance in developing and implementing a comprehensive paid leave policy in order to avoid litigation.

On September 30, 2020, the New York Sick Leave Law went into effect. Under the law, companies must provide employees one hour of paid or unpaid sick leave for every 30 hours worked by the employee. The new law allows employees to take leave when they or their loved one’s mental or physical health condition requires medical care; they or their loved one has been a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking or human trafficking; the employee needs to enroll their children in a new school; or to take any actions to ensure the health and safety of themselves, their loved ones and their co-workers.

According to the law, employers with 100 or more employees must provide employees up to 56 hours of paid sick leave a year. Those with five to 99 employees and companies with four or fewer employees and a net income of more than $1 million in the previous tax year must provide up to 40 hours of paid sick leave. Those with four or fewer employees and a net income of $1 million or less in the previous tax year must provide up to 40 hours of unpaid sick leave. Although employers must pay the employee at the regular rate of pay, they can provide additional benefits to the employees as part of their own sick leave policy.

Employees will begin earning sick time on the first day of employment or on September 30, 2020, whichever is later. However, they will not be allowed to use it until January 1, 2021.

Mr. Pagano is a Partner in the firm’s Labor & Employment Group. He routinely defends employers facing class and/or collective action wage-hour claims throughout the U.S., whether arising under federal or state law. He has also been called upon by numerous companies to structure internal and external employment and operating policies and procedures that minimize non-compliance with applicable interstate and intrastate wage-hour statutory schemes.

“I am urging employers to update their sick leave policies as soon as possible,” Mr. Pagano says. “If they need assistance developing a policy and they want to make sure they are in compliance with state law, they should contact a labor and employment law attorney immediately.”

For more information, call (631) 727-2180 or visit www.suffolklaw.com.

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About Twomey Latham

Twomey, Latham, Shea, Kelley, Dubin & Quartararo, LLP is a full-service law firm with a 65-person staff with over 30 attorneys, paralegals and legal assistants in five offices across Long Island. The firm’s practice areas include Business and Corporate Law, Labor and Employment, Insurance, Banking, Commercial Litigation, Taxation, Trademark and Copyright, Environmental Law, Real Estate Development and Transactions, Construction, Land Use and Zoning, Municipal Law, Personal Injury, Immigration, Arts and Entertainment, Wills Trusts and Estates, Estate Litigation, Elder Law, Family and Matrimonial Law, and Not-For-Profit Law.

Lauren P. Raysor Presents Preliminary Findings on Call for Reform of the Mount Vernon Police Department

MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK — On September 29, 2020, attorney Lauren P. Raysor presented a report on behalf of the Mount Vernon Coalition for Police Reform to the Mayor of Mount Vernon, members of the City Council and other elected officials. Ms. Raysor formed the Mount Vernon Coalition for Police Reform, a group of former police officers, civil rights attorneys, former City Officials and several others seeking ways to improve the practices of the Mount Vernon Police Department.

The report pointed out that there is a lack of trust in the police department. Citizens refuse to cooperate with the police during investigations, which explains how the city has the highest rate of unsolved homicides in Westchester County.

In its report, the Coalition made the following recommendations: the formation of a Civilian Complaint Review Board; requiring police officers to become more involved in the community, including living in the city where they work; statistical tracking of misconduct by officers based on race and gender; use of body and dashboard cameras; elimination of chokeholds, no-knock warrants and stop and frisk; review of police guidelines to ensure new rules and new compliance; more anti-bias and de-escalation training, including training to combat racial profiling; and using money from the police budget to pay out settlements from police misconduct lawsuits.

The Coalition also urges police officers to report a fellow officer who is engaged in a criminal act. Failure to do so would result in arrest. Citizens who use their cell phones to record instances of police misconduct would be provided whistleblower protection.

“In combating the systemic problems that are plaguing this police department, we are introducing some recommendations that are long overdue,” Ms. Raysor said. “I strongly urge the city council and the Mayor of Mount Vernon to review our findings and seriously consider implementing our recommendations.

For more information, call (914) 733-8080 or visit www.laurenpraysor.com.

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About Lauren P. Raysor

Lauren P. Raysor is an attorney concentrating in personal injury, civil rights, bankruptcy, matrimonial and family law. She has litigated numerous cases over the years, taking more than 35 cases to verdict and has argued before the Appellate Division in the case of Makeda Barnes Joseph v. Universal Music Group. She served as Corporation Counsel for the City of Mount Vernon, where she was in charge of the city’s Law Department. Ms. Raysor is currently outside counsel for the New York State Dormitory Authority, and served as the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Upper Manhattan Region, outside counsel to the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone and counsel at a Wall Street law firm.

 

Duffy & Duffy Law Available to Speak on New York Nursing Homes’ Handling of the COVID-19 Pandemic

UNIONDALE, NEW YORK — Attorneys from the law firm Duffy & Duffy Law are available for comment on how New York nursing homes failed to prepare for the coming COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to more than 6,600 deaths.

The firm filed a series of lawsuits on behalf of the residents’ families, claiming the facilities willfully failed to implement an infection control program as required by the 2016 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Final Rule and its accompanying 2019 memorandum. Further, the nursing homes violated New York State Public Health Law by failing to properly train their staff on infection control and emergency preparedness. In addition, they did not heed the warnings from the New York State Health Department back in February that the virus would hit the state.

On April 3, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law a bill that protected nursing homes and hospitals from legal liability during the pandemic, except in instances of willful gross negligence or reckless misconduct. However, in response to the increase in COVID-19 related deaths at these facilities, the state Legislature approved a bill on August 3 that would roll back certain legal protections for hospitals and nursing homes.

On July 28, the state Legislature began holding a series of hearings to investigate how the coronavirus spread through the nursing homes and, specifically, if it was related to a state order requiring nursing homes to take in residents who had the virus. Currently, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division also began its investigation to determine if the state directive contributed to the residents’ deaths.

For more information, call (516) 394-4200 or visit www.duffyduffylaw.com.

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About Duffy & Duffy Law

Based in Uniondale, New York, Duffy & Duffy Law offers solid and legal counsel and representation to people who have suffered from negligence and medical malpractice. The firm advocates for patients of negligent physicians and nurses throughout New York, sheds light on uninsurable doctors who continued practicing and held insurance companies accountable for dictating patients’ course of treatment, leading to tragic outcomes. Duffy & Duffy Law serves injured individuals throughout Nassau, Suffolk, and Kings Counties, as well as the Bronx, Queens and other areas of New York. For more information, call (516) 394-4200 or visit www.duffyduffylaw.com.

Russell I. Marnell Offers Advice for Victims of Intimate Partner Abuse in Recognition of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

MELVILLE, NEW YORK — Russell I. Marnell of Marnell Law Group, P.C. is reminding everyone that October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and is urging victims to obtain help from both the police and legal counsel, in order to secure their safety.

National Domestic Violence Awareness Month was formed in 1981 by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence to help battered women’s advocates across the country connect with each other. Domestic violence is not restricted to physical violence; it also consists of stalking, menacing, harassment, disorderly conduct and grand larceny, as well as unlawful dissemination or publication of intimate images. “It’s been reported that, as more people become aware of this designation, they are coming forward seeking orders of protection against their abusers,” says Mr. Marnell.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, an estimated 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are abused by their partner every year. In addition, a woman is beaten or assaulted every nine seconds and 25% of men experience physical violence by their partner. Mr. Marnell says, although he has seen women seeking orders of protection, he has also represented men in these situations.

“Men have definitely come to me seeking restraining orders or orders of protection,” he says. “Men usually won’t make an abuse claim, unless there was something egregious, like the use of a weapon during an abusive situation.”

Domestic violence became more prevalent during the coronavirus lockdown. Data from The Marshall Project showed that, in Suffolk County, there was an 18% increase in calls reporting domestic violence to the police, while Nassau County police received 10% more domestic violence calls during the lockdown.

In the event a partner is being abused, Mr. Marnell strongly recommends calling the police and collecting as much evidence as possible against the abuser, including tape recording the perpetrator, which is allowed in New York State. “New York is a ‘one-party consent’ state regarding the audio recordings of conversations, as long as one party consents to the recordings — in this case, the person subjected to domestic violence — and the person making the recording is involved in the conversation,” he says. “Victims should also seek medical treatment for their injuries, which will help support their claims of domestic violence.”

The New York State Unified Court System has deemed filing temporary orders of protection and emergency family offense petitions in Family Court as essential. Filing temporary orders of protection, including, but not limited to, matters involving domestic violence, in state Supreme Court is also considered essential. “If you are in an abusive situation and you are seeking protection, contact a divorce or family law attorney immediately,” Mr. Marnell says.

For more information, call (516) 542-9000 or visit www.marnelllaw.com.

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About Marnell Law Group, P.C.

Located in Melville, New York, Marnell Law Group, P.C. concentrates in divorce and family law matters, including complex custody, equitable distribution, child support and maintenance issues. Founded in 1985, the firm continues to provide its New York metro area clients with excellent representation and service. While the attorneys at Marnell Law Group, P.C. will negotiate vigorously to settle your matter, should a matter need to proceed to trial, clients may rest assured that Mr. Marnell’s vast and extremely successful trial experience will put them at a great advantage. Mr. Marnell is a fellow of the esteemed American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. He has been selected as a Metro New York Super Lawyer in the practice area of Family Law. Mr. Marnell has also received the Martindale-Hubbell AV rating — the highest rating an attorney can achieve. He is a member of the Matrimonial Committees of the Nassau and Suffolk County Bar Associations and the New York Family Law American Inns of Court, as well as a frequent lecturer and contributing writer; Mr. Marnell has been published in the Nassau Lawyer, Suffolk Lawyer and the New York Law Journal, among others. For more information or to schedule a consultation, call (516) 542-9000 or visit www.marnelllaw.com.