GT is a sponsor of The Employment Law & HR Summit: Tri-State Region in New York on September 29, 2026. Kelly Koster will be speaking on the Discrimination, Harassment & Retaliation in a High-Enforcement Jurisdiction panel.
Discrimination, Harassment & Retaliation in a High-Enforcement Jurisdiction:
Employers in the Tri-State region operate under some of the most expansive and plaintiff-friendly anti-discrimination laws in the country. New York and New Jersey impose lower legal thresholds than federal law, increasing the likelihood that workplace complaints escalate into formal claims. At the same time, retaliation remains the most frequently alleged cause of action, often arising from routine management decisions following employee complaints. This session examines how evolving legal standards, remote work dynamics, and multi-jurisdictional operations are reshaping risk, and what organizations must do to ensure investigations, documentation, and response strategies hold up under scrutiny.
This panel will discuss:
- Key differences between federal standards and expanded protections under NYSHRL and NJ LAD
- Retaliation as the highest-risk trigger in employment litigation and how to mitigate it
- Investigation protocols that withstand agency review and litigation challenges
- Managing discrimination and harassment claims across hybrid and multi-state workforces
- Lessons from recent enforcement trends and litigation outcomes in the Tri-State region