New York State - Federal Judge Approves Class Action Settlement That Will Allow Thousands ...
...of New Yorkers to return to work quicker.

NEW YORK, NY, February 14, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- An important class action settlement was announced today that will help thousands of New Yorkers to return to work quicker. The settlement was reached with the Office of Children and Family Services ("OCFS") which operates the New York Statewide Abuse and Maltreatment Register. Before a person can work with children, the state law requires that employers must first obtain a clearance from the Register. Without a clearance, people can not work.

The Register maintains a list of people who have been accused of maltreatment of children. Those who have been listed are entitled to a hearing to clear their names. However, sometimes hearings take more than a year to complete. While waiting for the hearings, people can not get jobs. When the hearings are finally held, up to 50 - 75% of the people are exonerated.

Mr. Hoffman, attorney for the plaintiffs in this case explained that "it is not difficult for someone to place an anonymous call to the hot line and have a person listed. Many of the phone calls to the hot line arise out of family disputes." Mr. Hoffman estimates that more than one million New Yorkers are listed on the Register.

Under the terms of the settlement, those whose employment is immediately affected will have their hearings completed in four months. For all others, hearings will be completed in eight months. The state is required to implement these time limits by November, 2011.

The settlement was approved by Hon. Shira Scheindlin, Federal Judge in Manhattan at a hearing held on February 7, 2011. Judge Scheindlin had previously certified a class that consists of over 8,000 people who have requested and are awaiting a hearing. The litigation, titled Finch v. State was originally filed in 2004. The Law Offices of Thomas Hoffman, P.C. in Manhattan was appointed as class counsel to represent the plaintiffs and to monitor compliance with the terms of the agreement.

Mr. Hoffman said "I am pleased with the settlement. During these very difficult economic times, thousands of people each year will now be able to get back to work sooner so that they can support their families."

The attorneys who negotiated the settlement on behalf of OCFS are Assistant Attorney General Robert L. Kraft and OCFS Senior Counsel Emily Reeb Bray.

For more information:
Thomas Hoffman, Esq.
250 W. 57 St., Suite 1020
New York, N.Y. 10107
Tel. (212) 581-1180 or (917) 589-6156
Website: www.registryclassaction.com

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