New York Paralegal Blog

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. today announced the sentencing of FREDERICK GIUNTA to 3 1/2 years in state prison followed by five years of post-release supervision for committing an act of bias-related violence in the West Village. On February 15, 2011, GIUNTA pleaded guilty to all of the charges in his indictment, including Attempted Robbery in the Second Degree and Assault in the Third Degree as a Hate Crime. “Today’s sentencing serves as a reminder that there is no tolerance for bias-related violence,” District Attorney Vance said. “Our Office’s Hate Crimes Unit, formed a few months prior to the crime that led to today’s sentencing, will continue to support the diverse communities of New York by aggressively investigating and prosecuting hate-motivated offenses.”

Retirement System Penalized Older Firefighters Because of Age, Federal Agency Charged NEW YORK – The Village of Amityville, N.Y., and the Amityville Fire Department will pay $209,280 to settle a class age-discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. The EEOC’s suit alleged that Amityville refused to let volunteer firefighters over age 65 accrue credit toward a “length of service award,” the equivalent of a retirement pension, because of their age. As a result, senior firefighters lost pension amounts after they turned 65, in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) a federal law that protects workers age 40 and older from age discrimination. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Civ. No. 2:09-03742 ADS/AKT, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement.