In re Ruiz v. New York

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Date: 

November 20, 2000

In re Ruiz v. New York, No. 00123579/00 (N.Y. Super. Ct. filed Nov. 20, 2000)

Our Role in the Case

Legal Momentum filed a lawsuit in November 2000 challenging the failure of New York City to update its schedule for determining child care eligibility and childcare co-fees.

Summary of the Argument

The City had been using a schedule based on 1990 poverty figures, rather than updating the schedule annually as required by State law. Use of the ten-year-old schedule meant that many families were determined ineligible for child care when their income would have been within the income guidelines of an appropriately updated schedule. It also meant that families were paying inflated co-fees for care. Ms. Ruiz had been required to pay excessive fees for child care and we filed a lawsuit on her behalf to move the City to update the old schedule for all parents.

Case Outcome

The City responded to the suit in December by issuing an updated schedule based on 2000 poverty figures, and we successfully settled Ms. Ruiz's suit with the City in February 2001, obtaining complete reimbursement for her.

  • Workplace Equality and Economic Empowerment

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