Vote: Floor vote
NY SenateMay 19, 2026Result: passed
(58) (1) (0) (4)
Senate bill · S8624 (2025-26)
Permits courts to award punitive damages against an estate for sexual abuse
Latest action May 19, 2026
New York State Senate
Same as A10046, the matching bill in the Assembly.
Summary
Permits courts to award punitive damages against an estate for sexual abuse.
Summary from NY Open Legislation. How we handle summaries
From NY Open Legislation, the NY Senate and Assembly, and official rosters. This record was last updated Oct 20, 2026. About our data
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Purpose, from the sponsor's memo
To amend the civil practice law and rules to allow for punitive damages against an estate for sexual abuse.
Filed with the bill. Read it on nysenate.gov (opens in a new tab)
Where it stands
Passed one of the two chambers; it still needs the other.
- Introduced
- In committee
- Up for a vote
- Passed one chamber
- Passed
- Enacted
Committee
Codes · New York State Assembly
Also referred to Codes · New York State Senate, Judiciary · New York State Assembly, Judiciary · New York State Senate, Rules · New York State Assembly, Rules · New York State Senate.
Cosponsors
Gustavo Rivera, Jessica Ramos and 7 more on Agora
Showing the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.
Read on NY Senate (opens in a new tab)- Democratic9
Shown in neutral colors by design; Agora is non-partisan.
The sponsor's argument
Why Zellnor Myrie says this is needed
The roots of barring punitive damages against estates lay not in legis- lative, constitutional, or statutory action, but in common-law reasoning that a claim is extinguished upon the death of the liable party. Yet in other areas of New York law, including components of criminal and civil forfeiture, civil rights, and consumer protection, among others, liabil- ity is heightened or extended when a determination is made that society benefits from such conduct being strongly deterred. Sexual abuse, traf- ficking, and related sexual crimes fall squarely within that ambit, and New York law should serve as both a shield of deterrence and sword of justice against this abuse in all forms. This bill seeks to codify the principle that victims of abuse should not be robbed of vindication by the death of their abuser, nor should an estate escape liability where that very estate may have helped facili- tate abusive conduct.
This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.
Recorded votes
Vote: Committee vote · Judiciary
Senate JudiciaryApr 21, 2026Result: passed
(19) (0) (0) (0)
Full history
- May 19, 2026
Sent to the executive
DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
NY Senate
- May 19, 2026
Passed a chamber
PASSED SENATE
NY Senate
- May 19, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO CODES
NY Assembly
- Apr 27, 2026
Advanced to Third Reading
ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
NY Senate
- Apr 22, 2026
2ND Report CAL.
2ND REPORT CAL.
NY Senate
Show full history (4 earlier events)Show less history
- Apr 21, 2026
1ST Report CAL.751
1ST REPORT CAL.751
NY Senate
- Jan 30, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO CODES
NY Assembly
- Jan 7, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO JUDICIARY
NY Senate
- Dec 19, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO RULES
NY Senate