When you are poor and have no power, you need a place to go for justice.
--MFY Client
MFY’s staff helps thousands of New Yorkers get access to justice each year.
We ease the burden of those who would otherwise have no other options.
MFY is a vigorous advocate for those who have no voice in government.
Residents of Surf Manor Home for Adults filed a class action lawsuit against the facility to address longstanding violations of their rights, including a perennial bed bug infestation, poor conditions, lack of essential services, and verbal abuse. A judge issued a temporary restraining order to prevent retaliation. Read more.
The Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated a ruling that New York’s practice of segregating thousands of people with mental illness in large adult homes constitutes discrimination.
Ilona Spiegel, resident of the Garden of Eden Home for Adults who suffers from respiratory ailments, won a monetary award after struggling for tears to get air conditioning from the home at a fair price. Adult Home Resident Wins Battle for Air Conditioning
MFY Legal Services launched the Nursing Home Residents’ Project to provide advice and advocacy for nursing home residents and their families. The Project will represent nursing home residents whoa re facing abuse and neglect, civil rights violations, improper discharge planning, and unfair consumer practices. MFY Launches New Project for Nursing Home Residents
Please join MFY at our Annual Dinner-Theatre Benefit, honoring Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP for their outstanding commitment to pro bono work. The evening begins with cocktails & dinner at The Edison Ballroom, followed by a performance of the new musical, "Nice Work If You Can Get It," at the Imperial Theatre.
MFY's new report, JUSTICE DECEIVED, shows how large foreclosure firms subvert state regulations protecting homeowners by failing to file documents that move the case to a judge’s docket, trigger a state-mandated settlement conference, and alert housing counseling agencies that a homeowner needs assistance. Instead, cases remain in “limbo,” while the bank rejects mortgage payments and charges the homeowner fees and interest.
MFY Legal Services, Inc. envisions a society in which no one is denied justice because he or she cannot afford an attorney. To make this vision a reality, MFY provides free legal assistance to residents of New York City on a wide range of civil legal issues, prioritizing services to vulnerable and under-served populations, while simultaneously working to end the root causes of inequities through impact litigation, law reform and policy advocacy.