Katerina Housos

Katerina Housos is a New York City based employment attorney at Phillips & Associates. Ms. Housos is both a common law and civil law trained attorney, having received her Bachelor of Laws degree from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in Athens, Greece, her L.L.M. degree in Commercial and Corporate Law from Queen Mary University of London in England and her L.L.M. degree in International Law and Justice from Fordham University School of Law in New York City. While at Fordham, she served as International Graduate Editor of the Fordham International Law Journal and was part of the Community Economic Development clinic. In addition, she has served as Adviser to the Permanent Mission of Cyprus to the United Nations in New York and as a judicial law clerk at the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania. Prior to joining Phillips & Associates, she also worked at other employment law firms both in New York and in Greece.

Ms. Housos has published several articles in law journals. She is admitted to the New York State Bar and the Eastern District of New York. She is bilingual English/Greek and also speaks French. She currently serves on the African Affairs Committee of the New York City Bar Association. Ms. Housos is a skillful attorney who is dedicated to justice for employees.

One of the most robust anti-discrimination laws in the nation is the New York City Human Rights Law. There are numerous protected characteristics under this law, including color, race, age, alienage or citizenship status, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, pregnancy, religion, credit history, unemployment status, status as a victim of sex crimes, stalking, or domestic violence, salary history, arrest or conviction record, or caregiver status. Under the city law, a caregiver is somebody who provides direct and ongoing care for either a care recipient or a minor child.

Federal and state laws protect some overlapping characteristics. Each has its own nuances and available damages.

The remedies that may be available depend on which law you utilize to pursue damages. Federal anti-discrimination laws enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) offer capped compensatory and punitive damages as remedies. Your damages would be capped based on the size of your employer. For example, if you were subjected to racial harassment at your place of employment every day for three years, and your employer had 50 employees, so you sued under Title VII, you could recover up to $50,000 in compensatory and punitive damages. If your employer in the same situation had 600 employees, your damages would be capped at $300,000.

The New York State Human Rights Law allows claimants to recover compensatory damages. These may include back pay and emotional distress damages. In contrast to federal law, these damages are not capped based on the size of the employer or at all. You may be able to get reinstated in your position as part of your remedies. For example, if you were terminated for an unlawful reason, such as a disability, you may be able to be reinstated in your old job. However, under the state law, you cannot recover attorneys’ fees or costs or punitive damages.

The New York City Human Rights Law also allows you to recover back pay, front pay, reinstatement, and compensatory damages. Moreover, you can recover punitive damages and reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs. The damages are not capped based on the size of the employer, as federal damages are.

Usually, employers have more power and resources than do their employees, which means that a conflict with an employer can be extremely stressful to navigate on your own. If you were a victim of employment discrimination or harassment, let us assist you. Ms. Housos and our other knowledgeable trial lawyers may be able to help you recover damages. Call Phillips & Associates at (212) 248-7431 or contact us through our online form. We litigate employment cases in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Long Island, Westchester County, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.