FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JULY 20, 2026
Landmark Decision in Transgender Discrimination Case Against the City of New York; Forced Unhoused Trans Woman to Shower and Sleep with Cisgender Men in Men’s Shelters, Leading to Repeated Sexual Assaults and Discrimination.
(NEW YORK CITY) On Friday, July 17, 2026, the New York County Supreme Court issued a Decision and Order denying in its entirety the City’s motion to dismiss Plaintiff Jane Doe’s discrimination claims under the New York City Human Rights Law. The lawsuit, Jane Doe v. The City of New York, 163629/2025 (New York County Supreme Court), asserts gender and disability-based discrimination claims on behalf of Jane Doe, a transgender woman whom – despite making clear that she was a trans woman – the City repeatedly forced to reside in men’s shelters and/or assigned rooms with cis-men during her 2+ year stint in the New York City shelter system, resulting in repeated sexual assaults, discrimination, and harassment on numerous occasions.
The City mounted a kitchen-sink attack on the Complaint and the Court rejected each and every argument. The Supreme Court held, among other important rulings, that Ms. Doe’s allegations that the City failed to place her in a Transgender and non-conforming (TGNC) bed or a women’s shelter despite knowing that she was transgender and was subjected to sexual assaults in the men’s shelter are sufficient to show “discriminatory motive on a system wide basis” and that the City can be held liable for the discriminatory conduct of its Shelter Partners, as agents of the City.
“Today’s decision reflects an important milestone in the protection of transgender rights in New York City, and a reminder of the power of our local laws to make change and correct injustice,” said Armen H. Merjian, Senior Staff Attorney at Housing Works, Inc., which along with Brooklyn Legal Services and Wang Hecker LLP represents the Plaintiff. “At every turn, the Court denied the City’s efforts to squirm out of liability for the blatantly discriminatory and harmful conduct to which it subjected Ms. Doe in the City’s shelter system and at her most vulnerable. We look forward to pressing forward and holding the City accountable for the deplorable treatment Ms. Doe has suffered and hope to bring about real change in the way DHS and its Shelter Partners treat transgender individuals.”
CONTACT: Armen H. Merjian, Senior Staff Attorney at Housing Works
Media coverage: Gothamist, AMNY, City Limits
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